Breaking Ever After
by thefanshipdarkhorse
Summary: What would it take to shatter every preconceived notion and social norm at a school where tradition is LITERALLY everything? When a mischievous cat plants the seed of a doubt into the mind of the school queen, the resulting tailspin catches not only her, but all those around her in the process. Multiple pairings, pretty equal focus on them all.
1. Curiosity and Kitty Cats

Hey everyone! I'm new to this fandom (writing for it, that is, though I guess I haven't known about it TOO too long either), but I absolutely ADORE the femslashy potential of this series! While I have internal dilemmas over watching (and shipping) a show borne from a line of dolls, my shipper heart aches for Rapple and just gay!Apple in general. I mean, rarely do I have a ship where I go, "That could ACTUALLY happen," but with this one…at least with Apple, I can look at her character and her actions and go, "She is SO totally gay." I honestly think Mattel's intention is for Apple to be gay, even though I know they'll never state it, and I guess I can't really blame them. The Apple/Darling kiss was risky enough for them, I suppose. ANYWAY, I got inspired by this headcanon I read online, about how Apple is so far in the closet that she doesn't even realize there IS a closet. So, yeah, I took that and ran with it.

Please review if you like it so I'll know if I should continue! Reviews really are super motivating for us writers!

* * *

 **Breaking Ever After**

 **Prologue: Curiosity and Kitty Cats**

* * *

There was a fell presence in the air over Ever After High.

It was faint—so faint that most might have missed it, but to a select few, something seemed just a little bit…off.

Birds were still chirping overhead, the sky was clear and near-cloudless, and a gentle breeze rustled through the leaves of the trees in the forest. It was, for all intents and purposes, a perfectly normal, even pleasant, day in Ever After.

Still, a collective shiver danced down the spines of several students that afternoon, though they could not for the lives of them pick out the reason.

And it was a very good reason, at that.

Because on that beautiful, near-cloudless afternoon, with the birds chirping and the breeze blowing (or perhaps _because_ of it), Kitty Cheshire was bored.

* * *

It was odd.

The perfect day for a catnap, the perfect tree branch to stretch luxuriously over and yet… _and yet_.

And yet Kitty Cheshire could not, for the life of her, get comfortable.

It was all Lizzie's fault, she thought sullenly as she lay there—on her back, most recently—arms hanging from either side of the thick branch. Stupid Lizzie, being busy all the time when she knew full well that she was one of the only people in this school whose companionship Kitty could stand. Maddie was alright, as well, if hard to understand at times, even for a Wonderlandian, but she was always off some place or another—it was hardly a recent development in her case, so Kitty could hardly blame _her_.

Lizzie, though…Lizzie was usually around to engage in halfway intelligent conversation, and now, with her being so preoccupied with her stupid, doomed romance with _Daring Charming_ , _of all people_ …

 _Now_ , Kitty was stuck _here_ , in some tree branch, listening to Apple White whine about Raven Queen and her latest flame, unable to even tune it out.

"I just don't think it's conducive to our destinies," she was saying. "I mean, it's not even about _me_ and _my_ destiny at all. I just don't want her to get hurt when they inevitably—"

"Really?" Kitty asked dryly, cutting off the mini-tirade and rolling onto her stomach to get a better view of the miffed blonde. She'd kept her silence for some time now, thinking that maybe, if she ignored Apple, the girl would just go away. After all, she'd appeared suddenly enough, stomping around the forest ( _just like a girl destined to be the next Snow White_ would, thought Kitty sarcastically) like it had personally offended her. The blonde had then plopped herself down at the base of the tree and just started _talking_ , like Kitty actually _cared_. "Because it seems to _me_ like you're just pissy because your precious Raven doesn't have any time for you anymore."

As soon as the words left her lips, Kitty's ears perked up. Wait a tick…it actually _did_ sound like that!

"What?" Apple spluttered, leaping up from the ground and staring up at Kitty, who was now wearing a dangerous-looking smirk. "That's…that's ridiculous! What on earth would make you think—"

"Well you're not exactly subtle," Kitty drawled, getting into it. "I mean, please. Following her around all the time, looking at her like you're in love with her—and the whole thing with _Darling_ waking you up didn't exactly reaffirm your heterosexuality."

Apple flushed as red as…well, her namesake, her eyes wide as her mouth flapped. "B-but…but I'm not…and _Darling_ isn't…it was the CPR!"

Kitty snorted in a decidedly undignified manner before disappearing and reappearing on the ground next to Apple (okay, now she _knew_ there was something wrong with her—why hadn't she just disappeared when Apple _started_ whining? But now, _now_ it was getting interesting, and she was not about to go anywhere).

She held up three slender fingers in front of the blonde's face, and began ticking off, one at a time, "One, yes, you are. Two, not that that has anything to do with this, but yes, she is, actually. And three…" She paused, holding her index finger up for a long second before tapping Apple on the head with it. "In your experience, does CPR typically result in a blinding flash of light and a heart-shaped exhalation of smoke?"

She put her hand down, examining Apple's face, before continuing, smirk growing, "Imagine what the others will think—their perfect little princess, gay as the Fourth of July. What _will_ everyone say?"

 _Nothing, probably_ , she thought to herself as Apple's eyes grew wide in horror—she clearly though Kitty was going to spread the word, even though that wasn't really her style. _She's so transparent that even that narcissistic nitwit Daring probably knows._

But Apple was clearly under the impression that she was completely, one hundred percent heterosexual (even if she _was_ the absolute only person who was, with the possible exception of Raven Queen, of course) and Kitty did _love_ to stir herself up a good drama. She hummed knowingly as Apple shook her head.

"I…I can't…I don't feel that way about _Raven_ …?" She seemed to be talking more to herself than to Kitty at this point, and the last bit came out as more of a question than a reassurance. "I…I'm not _gay_ , I'm the daughter of Snow White—I can't be _gay_." She stated it like the two were mutually contradictory states of being, and suddenly Kitty realized why Apple White was the only one who _didn't_ realize how completely gay she was for Raven Queen. As part of her (occasionally obnoxious) act as the next Snow White, Apple had never even _considered_ that anything about herself might be somehow different from expected. It wasn't about denial or keeping up appearances—she genuinely _did not know_.

Suddenly, Kitty wasn't quite so bored anymore. Her mischievous grin widened, though Apple couldn't see it through her internal conflict. She'd set the scene, and now it was time to do what she did best—sit back and enjoy the show.

She stood up and looked down at the girl, dusting herself free of invisible dirt. "Well, if you absolutely _can't_ be gay…I suppose there is no other explanation for it. You must be a much better person than I am, Apple White," she said, vaguely. "I mean, I can't imagine _myself_ being so concerned about who a _friend_ is dating," a careful emphasis on the proper word, "purely for _their_ sake. But that's just me. I guess I'm just…selfish."

With that last statement and a lighthearted shrug, Kitty disappeared in a dusting of glitter, her wide, cat-like smile lingering for just a second before it, too, faded to nothing.

Leaving poor, hopelessly confused Apple White to sort through the mess of emotions and (perhaps) realizations that Kitty had stirred up, all by herself.

* * *

UGH, I feel like something is missing D: I'm always super nervous about writing for a new fandom, so I'm sorry if it's awful xP

ANYWAY, please leave a review and let me know how I did/if you want it to continue! :D


	2. When the Ball Starts Rolling

**Hey guys! Sorry for the delay-I couldn't decide where to go with this! I figure if I get the beginning out of the way, the rest will come easier to me...anyway, long chapter is long. Please leave me a review if you want more! There will be more pairings to come!**

* * *

 **Breaking Ever After**

 **One: When the Ball Starts Rolling (It Doesn't Stop)**

* * *

" _I mean, I can't imagine myself being so concerned about who a friend is dating, purely for their sake. But that's just me. I guess I'm just…selfish."_

Despite every effort, Kitty's words continued to echo through Apple's mind all through that day and into the night. Thank Ever After Raven was staying with Maddie that night (Apple wasn't sure—the invitation had been in Riddlish—but she thought it might have something to do with an unbirthday party), because Apple wasn't sure she could bring herself to look at her roommate at the moment.

Not that she had any reason to feel this way—clearly Kitty had been entirely off the mark. She was just to cause trouble again, had just been fishing for something, a reaction. Unawares, Apple had provided one, but…wouldn't most people, were they put on the spot with a question like that?

Still…why was she still dwelling on it, even now, hours later, safe (safe being a relative word here—technically, Kitty could pop up at any time, but she tended to respect the privacy of others to an extent) in her own dormitory?

She pulled out her MirrorPhone, hesitated, then dropped it just as quickly. She couldn't talk to Briar about this; what would she even say? _Hey, Kitty implied that I was gay for Raven earlier, and even though it's totally not true, I still can't stop thinking about it and maybe imagining what it would be like to kiss my roommate in a totally platonic way of course_? She hummed under her breath in frustration before flopping down to stare up at the ceiling.

After a moment, she sat back up and grabbed her phone again, only to place it face-down on the side table. _A place for everything and everything in its place_ , even if her mind _was_ a mess of half-formed thoughts. Then she sighed and lay back down.

What if, just hypothetically, Kitty was right? Would it be so terrible? Instantly about a million other thoughts, mostly fear-fueled, filled her mind, and she stopped that train in its tracks. Clearly destiny-panic wasn't going to get her anywhere.

She changed tactics.

Did she have a problem with homosexuality? She thought back to her conversation with Kitty, back to what the girl had said about Darling. Was Kitty just bluffing about _her_? She'd been so blasé about it…it was probably the truth. So, did Apple have a problem with Darling?

 _Of course not. Darling is an incredibly nice girl, and on top of that, she saved my life. Why would the fact that she likes girls change anything?_

Absently, Apple found herself wondering if Darling had a crush on any particular girl at the moment. She would make a wonderful partner to any of the damsels; she was intelligent, kind, chivalrous, attractive…far more attractive than Daring, and that _smile…_

Apple sat up in bed, eyes wide. Surely she hadn't just thought that. Of course Darling was pretty, but surely Apple found Daring far more attractive. After all, he was meant to be her Prince Charming; even if Kitty was right, the kiss with Darling must have been a fluke. Maybe Daring's kiss had just taken a while to take effect…?  
But that sounded ridiculous, even to Apple, who was in complete denial-mode.

And did she _really_ find Daring more attractive than his sister…? No, not even that; did she find Daring attractive at _all_? She'd never really stopped to think about it. He was obviously good-looking, but weren't admitting someone was good-looking and finding them attractive two completely separate things? And then there was finding someone attractive versus being attracted _to_ someone…

Apple shook her head, hard, and rolled onto her stomach, burying her head in a ruby-red pillow and screaming into it in frustration. She even kicked her legs several times, for good measure. This was getting her _nowhere_! Why couldn't her mind just stay focused on _one_ train of thought for longer than a _minute_?

But she had, before. That entire day, the whole time she'd been trying to think of anything, anything at all other than Kitty and her wild theory, the only thing she'd been able to think about was Raven. How she wished she could talk to Raven about it, but was afraid it would make things weird. How she wished Raven _weren't_ staying over at Maddie's dorm so they could just talk about whatever, so Raven could distract her with that smile of hers that always made her look so mature (so _beautiful_ ).

How she wished Raven wouldn't smile at Dexter Charming like that, even though it had nothing at all to do with _either_ of their destinies…

How it had felt like someone had reached into her chest and grabbed everything inside it and _squeezed_ when Raven had (oh-so-apologetically) informed her that she was having lunch with Dexter Charming that day…

For the nth time since she had laid down, Apple sat bolt upright, her heart pounding in her chest.

She had to go somewhere—she had to do _something_ , anything to preoccupy her mind because left to its own devices it was going places she was _not_ willing to go.

Grabbing her phone, she clambered (somewhat clumsily) off of her large, plush bed and, stopping just briefly to check herself in the mirror (she was emotionally unstable, not on her death bed, after all, and there was no other excuse for not looking her best) before practically sprinting out of the room.

* * *

Watching the usually perfect, composed Apple White practically barreling out of the dormitories was, while deliciously entertaining, almost enough to make Kitty feel slightly guilty.

Almost.

But it wasn't as if she'd been dishonest—if anything, she'd done the poor girl a favor. And really, Apple should have known better than to confide in Kitty, of all people. After all, most people know better than to trust a grinning cat.

"What are you up to, Kitty?"

" _Raauwr_!"

The shocked cry escaped Kitty's lips before she could stifle it, and she whirled around to find Lizzie's stern gaze on her, arms folded over her chest. Her lips, pursed in suspicion, twitched slightly in amusement at the other girl's outburst. "What the hell, Lizzie?" Kitty spat, her voice slightly sharper than it maybe would have been. While it had led to a rather interesting development, she hadn't forgotten whose fault it was that she'd come across Apple White in the forest to begin with. "I thought you were with _Charming_."

Lizzie flushed slightly, and Kitty felt something hot rising in her chest, causing her lips to curl at the corners. "Not the entire day, of course," Lizzie replied in that imperious tone of hers. Then the blush faded, and she tilted her head. "Is something wrong, Kitty?"

Kitty made a noise somewhere between a snort and a scoff. "Where'd that come from? I'm perfectly fine."

The brunette frowned, her lips curving downward. "You seem upset," she stated, blunt as ever. "Have I done—"

"No, _god_ , I just said I'm fine, didn't I?" Kitty snapped, cutting the other girl off. Lizzie blinked, straightening slightly and raising her eyebrows at Kitty's tone. Backpedaling quickly when she noticed the confrontational posture, Kitty continued, "And I'm not up to anything, so just go to bed. You know Duchess will murder you if you interrupt her beauty sleep. Or are you staying with Daring tonight? Either way, you should be heading back before you get caught up this late." She turned away from the future Queen of Hearts, fully expecting her to leave. The Wonderlandians at Ever After High weren't exactly known for their deep, personal friendships. They had a special bond with each other, but weren't tied at the hip like most of the other BFFAs, and therefore tended to let things be instead of push them further.

She was therefore fairly shocked when, instead of turning on her heel, Lizzie took a step closer, effectively entering Kitty's personal space. Kitty's mouth twitched reflexively, revealing a small fang for an instant before hiding it again. Despite her apparent disregard for boundaries, she was unused to others invading her own heavily guarded space, and while Lizzie's presence wasn't entirely objectionable (in fact, she smelled rather nice—was that cinnamon?), she was still caught off-guard.

"That's the second little quip you've made about him," Lizzie stated, as if she were commenting on the weather.

"I would have thought you would jump at the chance to talk about your new _fling_ ," Kitty replied, sneeringly. "I mean, it must be _killing_ you, being away from him for the first time in days." Her arms were folded over her stomach now, and she was fighting to maintain eye contact. For some reason, she felt as if the moment it broke, she would lose this argument (was it even an argument?).

Lizzie's eyes narrowed, then widened as she pulled her head back, her full lips twitching into an amused smile. "Is that what this is about?" she asked. "You think I'm spending too much time with Daring?"

"Spend your time however you like," Kitty replied shortly, losing the battle for eye contact to that knowing smirk.

"Kitty…"

The feline-like girl nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt the nearly alien touch of warm fingers against her cheek. She stared at the hand, wide-eyed. Half of her was aching to jerk away, while the other half…wanted to press into the hand, for some reason.

"You could have just said something, you know," Lizzie continued, her voice considerably softer. "You don't have to be so childish about it."

" _Childish_?!"

"You're jealous."

"I am _not_!" Kitty nearly screeched the words, her voice breaking. "I've had a perfectly wonderlandiful day without _you_ around to bore it up! In fact, why don't you go ahead and _glue_ yourself to him so I can have _fun_ every once in a while?"

The words, while almost painfully childish, seemed to smack Lizzie right in the chest. The girl took a step backwards, her right hand resting subconsciously against her chest. "So I'm a bore, is that right?" she asked after a moment. "Always getting in the way of your twisted idea of fun?"

" _Yes_ ," Kitty hissed, leaning forward, arms laced tightly around herself. "The only reason you came to find me to begin with was to find out what I was 'up to', right?"

"I came out to find you because I was worried about you," Lizzie said, coldly, though her voice shook slightly. "I went to see you at your room and you weren't there, even though it's past midnight. It wasn't until I found you in the same vicinity as Apple running off that I drew _that_ conclusion." She took a deep breath. "But I would hate to get in the way of your _fun_ , so do what you like. I'll go and _glue myself_ to Daring, then, shall I?"

"Be my guest," Kitty sneered, though her eyes felt hot. "Not that it'll make much difference. It might take a few days for people to notice."

There was hurt in Lizzie's eyes now, and Kitty once again had to force herself to meet her gaze. The other girl had always been complete crap at hiding her emotions. It was one of the things Kitty found so adora… _annoying_ about her. "I know you're lying," she finally said, her voice low, and Kitty's heart stopped for an instant. "I don't know why, but you _are_. About being up to something, and whatever you have against Daring… And if this is how you're going to play your cards…well, I suppose I cannot force you to do otherwise. But for once, Kitty Cheshire, you're going to have to face the consequences of your actions, and I just hope you're ready for that."

She turned on her heel and finally, she was gone.

Kitty glared after her, steadfastly ignoring the rock forming in the back of her throat. "Right, because you're one to talk," she muttered. She kicked at the ground lightly, then harder, and harder, until she ripped a patch of grass right up.

Stupid Lizzie—what did _she_ know? Why would _anyone_ be jealous of her and that... _buffoon_? How dare she accuse _Kitty_ of all people—and what had she even meant by that? Frustrated and angry and pissed off at the world, Kitty let out a loud growl and stomped on the ground as hard as she could before turning and storming away. Somehow, simply disappearing and reappearing in her dormitory, while infinitely more convenient, didn't feel quite as satisfying and stomping her way across campus.

* * *

"Sooo…Kitty Cheshire made some sort of comment—which _you_ took seriously, might I add—and now you can't stop thinking about Raven?"

Briar sounded almost _bored_ , examining her nails as she lay back against her pillows, Apple sitting cross-legged on the bed in front of her. "Well, it was hard not to take her seriously," the blonde replied, though she flushed now, thinking back. Kitty did love to stir up trouble, so why was she letting this affect her so much? "And yes, that is the problem."

Eventually, after much deliberation, she _had_ gone to Briar. Her BFFA always seemed so confident, so in control- surely she would have the perfect explanation and Apple could just forget about this whole business. Besides, she _didn't_ \- she _couldn't_ \- actually have feelings for Raven, so what was she afraid of?

The pretty brunette glanced up at Apple from beneath thick, curly bangs, one eyebrow cocked. "And this is... _abnormal_ for you?" she continued, slowly. When her BFFA just looked at her, eyebrows furrowed, Briar rolled her eyes. "I mean, really, Apple, when are you _not_ thinking about Raven? If you're not holding her hand, you're looking for her, and when you're not looking for her, you're talking about her, and when you're not talking about her…" The taller girl cut off, shrugging. "I just assumed she was on your mind pretty much all the time, if the way you act is anything to go by."

Apple's blush was now bright enough to rival her (apple-themed!) pajamas. "Wh—I do not—I can't possibly…" Briar just watched her with a deadpan expression as she stuttered herself into oblivion. "I mean…she's…we're _friends_!" she finally exclaimed, clearly at her wits' end. _Why_ had she thought this was a good idea? Briar wasn't freaking out, but at this point, Apple would almost have preferred that. "What's so strange about _friends_ being around each other—talking about each other? I mean… _we're_ friends, Briar!"

The brunette actually snorted, much to Apple's annoyance and perplexity. "Right," she said. "And I don't see you clinging to _my_ arm and looking up at _me_ like _I_ hung the sun in the sky."

She paused, watching the blonde, who was looking entirely lost and confused. Briar's eyes softened and she leaned over the bed, grasping the pale hand tightly in her own and squeezed. "Apple…it's _okay_." She saw her friend open her mouth to argue, and continued, louder, effectively cutting Apple off at the pass. " _Whatever_ it is, it's okay. It was _Kitty_ , okay? She's been in a hextremely bad mood recently, she probably just wanted to let off some steam by messing someone else up instead of her. And even if she was right…what's so wrong with it?"

Briar chose her words with caution, careful to avoid putting any labels on what she was fairly certain 'it' was. Apple wasn't stupid—even if she didn't know herself, she'd find out, soon enough. The blonde in question was biting her lower lip, looking as if she wanted to believe Briar, to find comfort in her words, but her own fear was stopping her. Briar sighed.

"Raven returned the pages of the book, remember?" she said, watching the top of Apple's head. "So we could choose our own destiny. You're not tied to Daring anymore—or _any_ Charming, though I personally find Darling to be _much_ more bearable." Here she winked at the blonde in an attempt to lighten the mood and to maybe, _maybe_ bring a smile to her BFFA's face.

It worked. Apple's worried expression cracked just slightly as the blonde giggled in a broken-up kind of way that sounded as though she'd been about to start crying. "I think I have to agree with you there," she replied. "Especially with the way Daring's been acting since finding out his kiss couldn't wake me. I can't believe Lizzie's putting up with him, actually."

Briar scoffed, too happy to see her friend's smile to even think about pressing Apple for more juicy details regarding her 'thoughts' about Raven. "I think she feels sorry for him," she said, unkindly. The eldest Charming sibling had been nothing short of unbearable recently, wallowing in self-pity and humiliation—even his hair had lost its bounce. "Though I don't think she's doing him any favors. Any day now Kitty's going to claw his eyes out if he doesn't stop clinging to Lizzie."

Apple giggled again, stronger this time, and Briar grinned, glad to see her friend (mostly) back to herself. She was going to have to have some words with Kitty Cheshire, that was for sure, though more about minding her own damn business until the right time than anything else. Even though Kitty had just pointed out what everyone (at least those closest to Apple and Raven, or 'Rapple', as Maddie Hatter had gleefully dubbed them) had already suspected, Apple needed to come out of the metaphorical closet in her own time, not be kicked out by a conniving kitten. Even if it _had_ been taking, you know, _forever_.

Briar sighed internally as Apple bounced up onto the pillows to her left and cuddled up into her side. Crisis averted, and really... She may just owe Kitty a 'thank you' if all of this didn't end up blowing up in everyone's collective faces. As Apple's BFFA, Briar knew exactly how deeply invested Apple had been in her story, and in her happily ever after. For a while now, Briar had been seriously considering the possibility that Apple was _so_ focused on her destiny that it had actually made her completely blind to how _incredibly_ gay she really was, let alone for her own fairytale villain. At least now the _possibility_ had crossed the plane of Apple's mind, and, well…they'd see where it went from there.

 _You'd better hope this works out, Kitty Cheshire,_ Briar thought to herself as she felt Apple slump against her side, an arm flung loosely over Briar's waist. The blonde had always been a cuddler, ever since they were children. And if it was this bad with _her,_ Briar almost pitied Raven.

 _Because one way or another, things are going to change, and I know_ just _who to blame if things get messy._

* * *

 **I know. It sucks. I'm sorry. I really tried with it, but...yeah. Sorry again for the delay, and I hope you enjoyed despite the suckishness. Please leave a review if you want me to continue.**


	3. Saved by a Knight (Kittens Have Claws)

**Long chapter is long, sorry D: On the plus side, I feel like this story is finally going somewhere :D Please remember to review, and most importantly, enjoy the chapter! :D**

* * *

 **Breaking Ever After**

 **Two: Saved by a Knight (Kittens Have Claws)**

* * *

There was an incredibly uncharacteristic scowl marring the otherwise incredibly pretty face of Apple White at lunchtime the next day. The princess was sitting in the castleteria, across from Briar (Ashlynn was sitting with Hunter and his friends that day), but her mind couldn't have been farther from her BFFA.

About two tables away, Raven Queen and Dexter Charming were sitting side by side, laughing and blushing and jumping away awkwardly whenever their fingers met. Apple's nose wrinkled, and something akin to a growl escaped her throat as she stabbed her salad viciously. The fork was clutched so tightly in her right hand that her knuckles were turning white around it. Briar raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose me pointing out that green really isn't your color…"

"I am _not_ jealous!" Apple replied, her voice a good octave higher than usual, eyes snapping back to her friend. Her jaw clenched spasmodically, and Briar could tell it was hurting Apple to keep her gaze on her, and not the adorably awkward display two tables away. "I just…I haven't seen Raven a lot lately," she covered, her cheeks dusted with a flattering shade of pink. "Not that I'm not… _happy_ for her and…well, I mean, if she really likes him _that_ much…I'm happy for her. I am. Raven deserves to be happy."

 _I just wish it were with me…_

"I just wish it were with me."

Apple blinked, confused. She was caught between panicking about _why_ that thought had even crossed her mind and wondering when she'd started thinking in Briar's voice, when she glanced up to find her BFFA staring at her with a deadpan expression. "What?" the other girl asked, innocently, though the beginnings of a smirk were forming at the corner of her lips. "I was just saying what you were thinking."

" _How_ did you—I mean!" Apple flushed darker than her namesake as Briar shot her a shit-eating grin worthy of Kitty Cheshire. "I mean, I would never…I didn't…what is _wrong_ with me?" Apple finished, more to herself than to Briar, running her hands through her perfectly curled (as always) hair, eyes wide with the fear and confusion that had been plaguing her for days.

She'd never thought like this before Kitty had suggested… But that wasn't entirely true, was it? She'd never _noticed_ it…or at least, not as anything out of the ordinary…before Kitty had brought it to her attention. But…she'd always thought about Raven. A lot. About how clever she was. About how brave she was. About how nice and full her voice (and other parts of her…) was…about how beautiful her hair always looked… How she always smelled just faintly of cinnamon… Slowly, Apple brought her hand to her mouth, eyes widening. Oh, hex…

"I am _sooo_ gay."

She jumped nearly a foot out of her seat, her thoughts having been broadcast to the castleteria for the second time in less than ten minutes. A high-pitched giggle came from her right, and Kitty Cheshire materialized in a cloud of glitter, sitting on the tabletop with her legs crossed coyly.

"Was I right?" she asked, cloyingly, leaning into Apple's personal space. She then leaned back a second later, adopting a lovestruck expression and holding her hands to her heart. " _Oh_ , Kitty was _right_! How _could_ I not have seen it before?" She cackled, her face breaking into her trademark grin. A few tables away, Raven's eyes found the three of them, watching them curiously. Briar, who had noticed this change, eyed Kitty warningly, but the mischievous girl had noticed Raven's gaze as well, and sky-blue eyes lit with an idea.

Leaning in once again, Kitty began to speak quickly, her voice significantly lower. "It would be a real issue if Raven were to find out, wouldn't it?" she asked, watching Apple's eyes flash in fear. The blonde turned to the lavender-haired girl, terror written all over her face. It made Kitty's gut wrench slightly, but she couldn't start placing others' needs above her own _now_. "Here's the thing—I usually like to stay out of things. I like to watch the scene play out naturally. It's more entertaining that way."

Apple was now even more confused. A second ago, she was sure that Kitty had been about to out her…but then that weird look had crossed her face. Apple was fairly certain a type of bargain was coming her way, and she wasn't sure whether it would be any better than having her secret spilled over lunch.

"Daring is your prince, right?" Kitty asked. "Or at least, before his sister up-staged him…" She rolled her eyes. "Anyway. How about a little deal? I won't tell Raven, and you…you just need to…distract…Daring."

Apple frowned, now completely nonplussed. "Distract Daring? Why would _you_ care about—"

But Briar had started laughing—so hard, in fact, that she was already gasping for breath. Kitty shot her a positively venomous glare, but the brunette didn't seem to notice (or care). "Really? _That's_ your master plan, Kitty?" she asked, once she'd regained her breath. "I'd have expected more from you—that's barely even underhanded, and so see-through it's practically transparent." She'd practically spat out the last part. Briar was protective by nature, and didn't take kindly to those who tried to hurt her friends. While she was sure Kitty would never hurt Apple out of _malice_ …well, Kitty was pretty morally grey to begin with. She certainly wouldn't bother herself if Apple happened to get caught in the crossfire. "Tell me—how _is_ Lizzie doing lately?"

Kitty bristled, and suddenly she resembled a cat that had been cornered, arching its back to appear bigger. "Watch your tongue, Beauty," she spat, eyes flashing, though her face had turned a very subtle shade of pink. "Remember, Apple's not the only person whose secrets I know."

The brunette's laughter died instantly, her eyes widening, gaze snapping across the castleteria for perhaps a millisecond before those same eyes narrowed. "Is that a threat?" she asked, coolly.

"Not at all," Kitty replied, gaze never leaving Briar's. "Just a little reminder that we _all_ have our dirty little… _secrets_."

Apple, who'd been looking back and forth between the two girls, cleared her throat loudly. Instantly, both heads whipped around to face her, leaving her feeling slightly awkward. "Um," she began, uncharacteristically tongue tied for a moment before finding her voice. "Kitty, as much as I would love to help you with whatever issue you have with Daring Charming," here Kitty growled, her lip curling, nose wrinkling in distaste, "I don't believe in using other people or leading them on like that. Besides which," she continued, her voice stronger now, "I have nothing to hide." She directed this last statement into her salad, attempting to appear unbothered, though in reality, she just couldn't bring herself to look Kitty in the eye.

"You're a terrible liar, Apple White," Kitty stated bluntly. Her face remained blank, but if one looked carefully enough, they might notice her nails digging into the wood of the table beneath her. "And make no mistake," she added, her tone sharper, "I _have_ no _issue_. I'll let you get back to your jealous sulking, though. Come and find me when you're ready to accept the truth." With that, Kitty disappeared as quickly as she'd arrived.

Briar scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Salty," she muttered. Then, to Apple, "Don't take her seriously, Apple—she's been like this ever since Daring attached himself to Lizzie."

The blonde wasn't listening, though—her gaze was once again on her roommate and said roommate's… _companion_. Dexter was saying something, something that was making Raven laugh, which in turn made Apple feel like throwing up. If only she'd eaten anything to throw up in the first place… Unintentionally, her gaze met with a bored, ice blue one, and she blinked, forcing herself from her observation (sulking).

Two tables away, Darling Charming tilted her head in question, and before Apple even had time to pray that she didn't, she was following the trail Apple's gaze had taken moments before with her own eyes. A shapely blonde brow quirked upward, and Apple suppressed a very un-Snow-White-esque groan along with the urge to hide her head in her hands. Why couldn't Darling, who was so like her older brother in so many ways (albeit much more competent and chivalrous in doing so), be more like him mentally as well? Darling was too perceptive, too intelligent to miss a hint like that. Especially if the look on Apple's face had matched her thoughts at all…

"Apple?"

The blonde jumped, glancing up at Briar, who had gotten to her feet. "That was the bell…," the other girl said, frowning slightly. "Are you okay? Listen, I meant it about Kitty. Even if she does try something, she doesn't hexactly have a leg to stand on. If it's bothering you that much, though, I could _talk_ to her…"

Gracing this comment with a genuine (if small and shaky) smile, Apple stood up, shaking her head. "No, it's not that…I don't think Kitty would _really_ do anything unprovoked. I think it'd be worse if we tried to bring it up with her, honestly."

Briar scoffed, flipping her long, caramel locks over her shoulder. "If you ask me, it's about time that cat bit her silver tongue," she half-muttered, half-growled, and Apple blinked up at her BFFA, wondering for the first time just what Briar was hiding that she couldn't even tell Apple. The blonde princess bit down on her curiosity, though, at least for the time being. Briar was not one to toy with, and though Apple only wanted to help her friend, the encounter with Kitty had clearly put her in a downright foul mood. She got the idea that asking her about it would be like poking a sleeping dragon, and desperate and confused though Apple was in her current situation, she was _not_ suicidal.

* * *

Apple barely had time to catch her breath before Darling confronted her.

Well, it wasn't exactly a confrontation. It was the second-to-last lesson of the day, Damsel-in-Distressing, and Madam Maid Marian and King Charming had combined classes for the day in order to allow all of the students to practice their respective skills. Apple normally paired up with Daring for these particular classes, but what with recent events, her so-called Prince Charming would barely even meet her eyes. True to form, he had already made his way over to Lizzie Hearts and had taken her hand, bowing deeply. Lizzie afforded him a small smile, but appeared to be trying very hard not to roll her eyes, seemingly unaware of the spitting kitten on her other side.

Apple sighed, fixing a smile onto her face as Hopper caught her eye with a somewhat desperate look on his face. She understood at once—he would rather partner with Briar, but would undoubtedly turn into a frog if faced with having to play the hero to his crush. This thought gave Apple pause, and she tilted her head in thought. Was Hopper Briar's 'secret'? No…it couldn't be. That wasn't something someone as confident and unflappable as Briar would react so strongly to…

Caught up in her thoughts, Apple only just caught a whiff of a faint, sweet perfume before someone had taken her hand gently in their own. Blinking, she looked down to find Darling Charming smiling up at her from her position down on one knee, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. "May I have the honor of being the fair princess's hero this afternoon?" she asked smoothly, in a voice meant only for Apple.

As much as Apple wanted to refuse—Darling was, undoubtedly, going to question her about what had happened in the castleteria—refusal was never really an option. Though her heart lay fitfully (faithfully) with someone else, Apple swooned just a little bit at Darling's chivalrous behavior. "Of course you may, sir knight," she said, effortlessly falling into her part. They had, after all, played these parts before.

Darling's smile widened into a bright grin at Apple's addressing of her, and she brought herself to full height, gently releasing the blonde's hand, but not moving from her side.

The exercise that day was fairly simple—proper etiquette for when meeting your hero/damsel. As such, Apple didn't have anything to distract her from Darling's gently curious gaze or (much, much worse, nauseatingly so) Dexter's awkward, slightly clumsy interactions with Raven. At one point, when the two were called to perform before the class, Apple's hand curled into a fist as she forced herself to watch politely, fingernails digging into her palm with the effort of holding her usual bright smile.

She jumped for what must have been the hundredth time that day when another hand covered her own, its owner's grip gentle but firm, forcing Apple's own hand to relax. Her eyes widened, and she turned her head slightly to the left, her eyes meeting with gentle ice blue for the second time that day. The hand holding hers squeezed, and Apple found herself pacified, if only slightly.

After Raven and Dexter came Sparrow and Duchess, who both performed wearing expressions if they had just smelled something vile. The two had an…interesting relationship, to say the least. Neither seemed to like the other much, but they were rarely seen out of each others' company. Apple sometimes got the feeling that they were only placeholders for each other, a warm body to fill a yet unnamed void. Glancing around the crowd of students, Apple caught Poppy O'Hair watching the two with an unreadable expression.

Several other pairs performed, and finally, it was Apple and Darling's turn. Darling performed her part flawlessly, as did Apple. There was no challenge in Damsel-in-Distressing for Apple anymore—she'd long since perfected the act, and was capable of pulling off a perfect performance even while distracted by Raven and Dexter. Raven was watching her with an encouraging smile, and sent her an incredibly dorky, incredibly adorable thumbs up when Apple caught her eye. Apple smiled widely, only for it to fade seconds later when Raven's attention was stolen by Dexter, who'd put a hand on her shoulder and was whispering something to her. Something that made her laugh.

 _Apple_ was supposed to make her laugh.

And then the performance was over, and the class was applauding as if they'd done something extraordinary. Darling gave a theatrical bow, smiling up at Apple as if reading her thoughts, and Apple, rolling her eyes playfully, curtseyed in return.

Several minutes later, the various pairs had been instructed to practice their technique until class was over while Madam Maid Marian and King Charming went over grades. Naturally, the class took this as meaning free time, and within moments, everyone was chatting, laughing, flirting, or some combination/variation of the three.

Apple felt her hand being gently taken once again, and allowed Darling to twirl her around until she was facing the other girl. Once again, ice blue eyes met with her own, and Apple waited for a long minute for Darling to ask the question. But the most chivalrous Charming simply watched her, eyes inviting and free of expectation. Finally, Apple sighed and spoke.

"About what you saw earlier…in the castleteria…"

"You don't have to explain yourself," Darling said, easily, before Apple could attempt to do so. The blonde was thankful for this, as she wasn't really sure how to begin to do so. "I just want to know if you're okay."

Apple frowned slightly, a confused smile on her lips. "I'm fine?"

"You didn't look fine at lunch."

The words were gentle, but they hit Apple like a slap in the face. She really was being obvious, then… "I just…my lunch didn't agree with me," she replied, grinning feebly.

Darling raised an eyebrow. "I imagine it would be hard for it to agree with you," she replied, "considering you didn't touch it." Apple grimaced, looking to the ground, only for her chin to be lifted back up, until she was forced to look Darling in the face. "Just because Dexter is my brother doesn't mean I don't support you," she said, gently but firmly. "And just because they're spending time together doesn't mean you don't have a chance."

Apple suppressed a very undamsel-lilke sigh- of course Darling had cut right to the chase...and then she frowned. "But…they're dating…?"

Darling shook her head. "They're not," she replied. "My brother hasn't found the nerve to ask her yet."

"She likes him, though."

"But she looks at you."

This time, Darling didn't have to force Apple to meet her gaze—the blonde's eyes had snapped to hers, full of shock and disbelief and just a hint of hope. "She…does?"

"I wasn't the only one who noticed you didn't eat," Darling replied, by way of confirmation. "She's worried about you. Apparently you've been avoiding her."

"I haven't…" _But haven't you?_ It was true that Apple hadn't been able to bring herself to face Raven since her conversation with Kitty several days before, and she'd been spending the nights since with Briar and Ashlynn (who was concerned, but too sweet to ask any questions)… "I thought…she was spending so much time with Dexter, I didn't think she'd notice if I spent a few nights away…" Apple bit her lip. Now that she said it out loud, it sounded embarrassingly passive-aggressive. Darling just smiled gently in return.

"The Apple White I know wouldn't give up so easily," she said. The bell to signal the end of class rang loudly in the background. Taking Apple's hand once more in her own, she pressed another kiss to the back of it, much to the delight of Madam Maid Marian. "Just between you and me," she added in a playful, conspiratorial whisper, "I think you'd make a much better match for Raven than my brother." Darling punctuated this statement with a brazen wink, and Apple wasn't able to hold back the laugh that escaped her lips in response. Smiling at her reaction, Darling turned, grabbed her bag, and headed for the door, effortlessly locking her own arm with Dexter's on the way out, dragging the boy stumbling behind her.

Raven stood back, one arm folded over her stomach while the other rested against it, her hand pressed to her lips in amusement. Shining gray-violet eyes met with bright blue, and for the first time in days, Apple didn't break her gaze. Instead, she took a deep, bracing breath, and started forward, bouncing over to Raven and grabbing her arm, latching onto it just like she always did. She saw Raven roll her eyes in that amused way only elicited by Apple herself, plump lips curling into a good-natured smirk, and instantly Apple's heart felt lighter.

Giggling at the other girl's reaction, and, for the first time in days, out of pure happiness, Apple dragged Raven from the class much like Darling had Dexter. Raven and Dexter weren't dating. Apple had a chance. She was one hundred percent sure that not everything would go as smoothly as apple pie (she'd only just come to terms with her feelings internally, after all) but _she had a chance._

She was incredibly, undeniably gay for Raven Queen, and _she had a chance_.

* * *

 **Okay, so Apple's accepted her feelings (read: her absolute, total gayness)! Hopefully now the chapters will start to come easier, and I also plan to introduce other pairings into the mix as well :) I'm sorry if it seemed rushed :( It felt right while I was writing it, so I just went with it...I didn't want Apple to spend a whole long time in denial- I want to get her back to being confident and cheerful and eventually want to be openly gay with Raven, after all. I have a few ideas, but I'd like to know your opinions for other pairings, and of course, about how you liked this chapter and the fic in general! Please leave a review and let me know!**

 **A/N (aka unnecessary randomness): I see Apple as being a top, at least with Raven (not like I see her with anyone else). I think she'd be super affectionate (more so than she already is :P) once they got together, and would also be really forward with showing her affection and leading the way in multiple senses of the phrase :P** **ALSO! I feel like I'm the odd one out here, but I just adore Darling Charming. At least, my headcanon/some awesome fan artists' view of her. Also Duchess Swan. She's so bitter and mean, but in a good way, not a way that makes me want to hit her. I think she'd be really sweet in a relationship (which is why I'm wondering who to pair with her—obviously it has to be a girl, because lesbihonest, this is basically a big, fat, lesbian fanfic, but who? O.o), in part because of her insecurities and her need to be loved (idk if that's canon or my headcanon, but whatevs).**


	4. How to Tame Your Kitty Cat

**Okay, so just to be right up front with everyone—this chapter is just focused on Kitty and Lizzie. I was going to do another divided chapter but I kind of got on a roll, sorry D: No worries, main plot and everything is still in play, I just had a little fun with my favorite pair of Wonderlandian BFFAs. Also, Kitty being a bitch wasn't going to be a main plot point, just the start of it—you know, like how Helen of Troy was so pretty that she** ** _launched_** **a thousand ships, but was actually pretty irrelevant to the actual war? …Maybe that was a bad example. Kitty and Lizzie are still going to be involved, I'm just clearing things up a bit to pave the way for the main story. Nothing's being rushed, I promise, and I swear this chapter has a purpose (more than one ;])!  
**

 **SO, anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this 'day in the limelight', if you will, for these two :) Meanwhile, I'm back to writing the main story (although technically this is part of the main story…) and brainstorming future pairings :)**

 **Please leave me a review! They feed my starving SOUL. Like how happiness feeds Dementors.**

 **…**

 **Okay, that's enough with the examples for one day. And also the coffee. ON TO THE STORY!**

* * *

 **Breaking Ever After**

 **Chapter Three: How to Tame Your Kitty Cat (A Comprehensive Guide by Lizzie Hearts)**

* * *

"What are you planning for Apple White?"

Kitty started, a high-pitched mewl escaping her lips. She heard a rich, alto chuckle sound behind her, and her lip curled, her nose wrinkling in annoyance and indignation. Biting down on the inside of her cheek, she forced her features to go school themselves into something similar to her usual mischievous expression, and then twirled on her heel, meeting Lizzie's no-nonsense gaze with an innocent smile. "Whatever are you talking about?" Kitty purred, gaze never leaving Lizzie's.

The future queen of hearts, who had admittedly felt her resolve weaken at Kitty's cute shocked reaction, rolled her eyes so far they almost disappeared into her head. Kitty's 'innocent smile' more resembled that of the cat who'd eaten the canary. She wasn't even trying to hide it, Lizzie knew, and her annoyance with the girl returned in full force.

The dark-haired girl stepped right into Kitty's personal space without a second's hesitation, so that their faces were mere inches apart. Something inside of her rumbled in satisfaction when Kitty's poker face faltered for half a second before falling back into place. Without glancing down, she knew that one of the girl's feet would be half-raised from the instinct to take a step back, even though Kitty had clearly managed to bite back the reflex.

"Don't you dare insult me by playing me like that, Kitty Cheshire," she replied, voice low and soft, but clear as the reflection in Daring Charming's prized mirror. Kitty's nostrils flared, and Lizzie knew she had the girl on eggshells, though to a stranger, Kitty would look perfectly calm, even happy—that stupid smile had yet to break. "Apple is my friend—and she is _yours_ too! How _could_ you play with her life like it's some kind of drama series?"

"You have no proof that I've said or done _anything,_ " Kitty replied, her voice significantly less level than it had been even a moment before. A complex feeling stirred up in Lizzie's chest. On the one hand, one of the only things that had ever gotten to Kitty was when Lizzie (who usually remained relatively neutral) chastised her, which meant that despite her recent behavior, Kitty _did_ still care about Lizzie. On the other hand, it hurt her to hurt her friend. Still, a lot more people were going to be hurt if she allowed Kitty's scheming to continue. "For all you know, our precious princess could have riled herself up that night—I could just as easily have been enjoying the show."

"I've spoken with Briar."

Instantly, the infuriating grin was gone as Kitty's eyes widened, then narrowed into slits, and her posture grew rigid. "It's none of your business!" she spat, hands clenching into fists. But those narrow eyes showed just a trace of fear, and Lizzie knew she was wondering how much Briar had told her.

Lizzie took a step backwards, folding her arms over her chest and surveying Kitty with a raised eyebrow. There was no reason to try and intimidate her through proximity now that she'd cracked. "Anything that could hurt my friends _is_ my business," Lizzie stated, just as hotly. Despite her almost feral posture, Kitty seemed to…droop, just a little bit, at her words, and the brunette felt her heart squeeze painfully in her chest. "Especially," she added, softer and in a significantly less demanding voice, "if it is another one of my friends causing the pain."

Kitty's eyes darted away, focusing on the wall behind Lizzie, her lips morphing into a small, nearly imperceptible pout.

Caught between laughing out loud at Kitty's sulking and rushing over to scoop her best friend into her arms, Lizzie heaved a great sigh and once again closed the distance between them. Hesitantly, she reached for one of Kitty's limp hands, their fingers just barely touching, and, when Kitty flinched, but made no effort to pull away, took it gently in her own.

"Why are you doing this, Kitty?" Lizzie asked, softly, staring imploringly into Kitty's eyes, willing them to meet her own. "I know you—you may pull pranks and find others' drama amusing, but you don't _hurt_ people. That isn't you."

Lizzie, of course, had an idea why Kitty was behaving so nastily, but she didn't want to confront her BFFA with _that_ unless absolutely necessary. Getting answers from Kitty was very much like coaxing an actual cat out of hiding—aggression and confrontation were generally met with either lashing out or running away, and Kitty was clearly more defensive than fearful at the moment.

For her part, Kitty let out a small huff and folded her arms protectively over her stomach, still refusing to meet Lizzie's eyes. After a long moment of Kitty remaining silent and Lizzie continuing to stare, she let out an exaggerated growl and mumbled something unintelligible under her breath.

" _Kitty_ …"

"Ugh, _fine_! I was pissed, okay?! You're supposed to be my best friend and all you've been doing lately is fawning over that numbsksull Daring Charming!"

There were many things Lizzie could take from that, and she'd get to them in a moment, but… " _Fawning_?" Lizzie asked, her voice raising an octave. "I have _not_ been _fawning_!"

"You have so!" Kitty snapped, apparently either unaware of (or unconcerned with) how childish that had sounded. Lizzie fought the urge to giggle—it really _was_ kind of adorable. "You've been spending all your time with him and you're _always_ touching, and—"

"Because he never lets _go_ ," Lizzie stated, arms folded over her generous chest, leaning in for emphasis. "So you've been acting out because—"

"I have not been 'acting out'," Kitty interrupted, deepening her voice to a comical level and utilizing air quotes (presumably imitating Lizzie, though the brunette failed to see the similarities). She rolled her eyes, and Kitty growled. "I _haven—"_

But Lizzie had pressed the tip her index finger to Kitty's lips, cutting the girl off, though more from stunning her than actually physically silencing her. "Hush," Lizzie ordered gently. Kitty's eyes, wide from shock, narrowed, but when Lizzie removed her finger, the other girl didn't speak. "That's better," Lizzie huffed. "Now…you've been acting out because I haven't been spending enough time with you?"

Kitty threw her head back and gave a loud, frustrated growl. " _No_!" she snapped when she faced Lizzie once again, though her cheeks had gone just slightly pink. "I haven't been 'acting out'," again with the air quotes, "because you haven't been 'spending enough time with me'! I'm not _five_ , Lizzie!" Still, Kitty couldn't bring herself to meet Lizzie's gaze full-on, which made the future queen of hearts wonder if Kitty wasn't being _entirely_ truthful. But she let that slide, opting instead to tilt her head to motion for the other girl to continue. Kitty huffed. "I've been…" she paused, meeting Lizzie's gaze to give her a narrow-eyed glare, " _pissed_ because you've been spending _all_ of your time with him!"

"Isn't that the—"

"It's not the same!" Kitty snapped, and Lizzie raised her hands, ducking her head in submission (and also partially to help suppress the fond smile that was dangerously close to escaping the less mature Kitty acted).

"Okay, fine," she said, "it's not the same."

There was a long, pregnant pause, and then…

"I'm sorry."

Alice blue eyes snapped up to meet forest green. "Really?" Kitty asked, and it came out so hesitant, almost like a kitten's mew, that Lizzie felt her heart melt just a little bit. She pressed a hand to her chest, wondering whether spending time with Kitty was going to shorten her lifespan. "So…you're…not going to hang around him anymore?"

"Not all the time," Lizzie corrected. Kitty glared, though it was more huffy than truly angry, as it had been earlier, and Lizzie finally allowed herself that smile. "Kitty, he's…he's… _delicate_ …right now," she said, trying to find the best words to describe Daring Charming in his present state ('pathetic' and 'tedious' had been legitimate options as well, but she decided 'delicate' sounded significantly kinder). "His whole destiny has kind of gone through a loop, you know? I can't really abandon him just because my BFFA is being a jealous twit." She winked playfully.

Kitty's eyes widened and her posture went rigid again, but this time the blush was significantly darker. "I was _not—_ "

"You _were_."

"Was _not!_ "

"Were," Lizzie tapped Kitty on the nose with her fingertip, " _too_."

Kitty wrinkled her nose (adorably, in Lizzie's opinion, though, as they had only just made up, she didn't dare voice this) and made an odd sound somewhere between a frustrated growl and a hiss, but didn't argue, instead folding her arms tightly over her chest and averting her gaze again. Her blush had deepened once again, and from their close proximity, Lizzie could make out the light freckles splashed across the lavender-haired girl's nose.

Quite suddenly, something tugged at Lizzie's chest; it was the same thing as before, the same squeezing, but much more insistent, and the brunette felt an almost uncontrollable urge to pull Kitty into her arms and squeeze her tight and…

Blinking and suddenly, jarringly returning to the real world, Lizzie gave a sharp intake of breath. What in all of Wonderland…had _that_ been?

She bit her lip for a long moment, watching Kitty, who had walked over to her dresser and was now steadfastly ignoring her, and forced herself to take a deep breath. It didn't matter—Kitty was no longer in a foul mood, no longer upset with her (though she was trying very hard not to show it).

 _Mission accomplished._

It was probably a fluke, that was all. Maybe she'd been out in the sun too long. Daring _had_ dragged her to bookball practice (he'd given her his best puppy-dog eyes when she'd hesitated, and her arguments had died in her throat)… And yes, okay, her stomach had gone a little…funny…when she realized that Kitty was jealous over her but…wasn't that normal?

Yes, of course, perfectly normal, she decided, and with a firm nod of her head, banished all weird thoughts from her mind (and doing her best to ignore the weird feelings in her chest), she made her way over to Kitty's bed and sat down, where Kitty whirled around and fixed her with an annoyed glare so quickly she was positive her BFFA had been waiting for her to come after her.

"Mirrorflix?" she asked, pretending she hadn't noticed anything as Kitty made a point of going all the way around to the other side of the bed before sitting down.

Kitty huffed, refusing to acknowledge Lizzie for a long moment, before… "Fine," she mumbled.

Lizzie studied her BFFA for a minute. Kitty was clearly embarrassed, and it was manifesting the way it usually did—with a lot of huffiness and passive-aggressive avoiding-of-Lizzie. Unfortunately, Lizzie was not in the mood to be avoided (again), and purposefully and without hesitation crossed right over the bed to where Kitty was sitting. Wrapping an arm around Kitty's waist so that the girl couldn't pull away, she took the Cheshire girl's chin in her other hand and forced Kitty to look at her, despite being unusually aware of how close she was to her BFFA.

"Stop sulking," she ordered, her voice soft but firm. Kitty rolled her eyes, but dropped the attitude and dubiously met her gaze when Lizzie fixed her with a no-nonsense look. "I'm _sorry_ , Kitty. I thought…well, I suppose…I didn't think you would mind," she admitted, dropping her own gaze. She felt Kitty's eyes burning into the side of her head now. "He just seems so lost and…and…"

"Pathetic," Kitty supplied helpfully, causing Lizzie to laugh in spite of herself.

" _Confused_ ," she corrected, when she'd stopped laughing. Unconsciously, her thumb rubbed circles against Kitty's side before she caught herself. _A friend. You're comforting a friend. It's perfectly acceptable to comfort a friend._ "It seemed like he needed me."

"Well so do _I_ ," Kitty suddenly burst out, petulantly, and Lizzie pulled away slightly in surprise. Looking back at her friend, she saw that, though blushing again (she was doing quite a lot of that today—odd for a girl who routinely made absolutely vulgar jokes when she was bored, just to get a reaction from those around her), Kitty was finally meeting her eyes. "Maybe I _was_ a _tiny_ bit jealous, but so what?! You're _my_ best friend. Let Dumbass Charming cry in Sparrow's chest," the catlike girl stated, sans sympathy of any sort, and then mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, ' _though I bet he wouldn't like_ that _as much. Pervert. Heartbroken over Apple White, my ass'._

Stifling a laugh (and then wondering briefly whether Kitty was just making things up or if Daring really did have ulterior motives—both seemed equally likely), Lizzie pinched Kitty in the side, eliciting a startled ' _raauwwr_!' from the other girl, the adorableness distracting her from the way her heart had skipped a beat with Kitty's words. "Be nice," she said. Then, softening and tilting her head to look Kitty in the eye, "I'm sorry, Kitty. You know you mean far more to me than Daring Charming or any stupid boy."

It was the third time she'd apologized, but finally Kitty's eyes softened. Purring, she quite suddenly wound her arms around Lizzie's stomach and all but launched herself into the other girl's arms, eliciting a soft ' _oompf_ ' from the future queen of hearts. Smiling gently, Lizzie raised a hand and ran her fingers through one of Kitty's long, ringletted pigtails fondly, wrapping her other arm around the girl as she rested her chin on Kitty's head.

They stayed there for a long moment before Lizzie gently separated herself, giggling when Kitty grumbled and clung, only to grab her best friend's wrist and pull her toward the center of the bed, "Now, _Mirrorflix_ ," she said, in her most queenly voice. Kitty giggled (or, well, snickered, as she did) and curled into her side without hesitation as Lizzie reached over her for the remote.

 _Just like a cat_ , Lizzie thought, as a quiet but steadfast rumbling began to emanate from her lavender-haired BFFA. It had been a long time since they'd spent time together, just the two of them, but the affection and close contact was nothing new for Kitty.

What _was_ new was the insistent tugging in Lizzie's chest, like something fighting to come out, but the future queen forced herself to ignore it, eyes focused on the screen until she lost herself in the plot playing out on the huge screen of Kitty and Maddie's TV.

She'd been out in the sun too long, that was all.

Kitty was happy again, and as such, Apple White's secret was safe.

Everything was fixed.

 _Problem solved._

Still, a traitorous voice whispered somewhere in the very recesses of Lizzie's mind that she may have just discovered a new one.

* * *

 **A/N: My new favorite color is Alice blue. Completely, one hundred percent,** ** _solely_** **because it's called 'Alice blue'. Also, Lizzie Hearts has two different potential eye colors in different screenshots/pictures, but I liked her best with the deep forest green color instead of the bright blue (and there are tons of girls on that show with blue eyes already), so I kept that, just to clarify.**

 **You guys have been so awesome about reviews! I always get super motivated reading them and you guys are always supportive and leave thoughtful comments, which is awesome! So yeah, thanks, and I hope you continue to enjoy this (and feed the starving author with soul-sustaining reviews)! Hope you enjoyed this 'Wonderlandiful' side trip! HAH!  
**

 **Okay. No more coffee. See you next time, guys! :)**


	5. Enter the Swan

**SO. This chapter has a bit of everything, as in, Rapple plus some side pairings. As ever, tell me what you'd like to see—chapter themes, pairings, whatever. Please remember to leave a review and enjoy the story! :)**

* * *

 **Breaking Ever After**

 **Four: Enter the Swan**

* * *

"Could she _be_ any more transparent?" spat Duchess Swan, watching Apple run up to, and subsequently pounce on, Raven from across the courtyard.

"Can who be what?"

Duchess scoffed, whirling around to face Sparrow Hood, who was stretched out across the bench, idly strumming his guitar. " _Apple White_ ," she hissed, plucking the guitar from his hands, ignoring his cry of protest. "It isn't enough that Daring is her destined prince, and that she's guaranteed the best happily ever after available. No, _now_ she wants her villain as well!"

"So?" Sparrow asked, nervously eyeing his guitar. Duchess was brandishing it in a way that made him fear the next time he held it, it would be in pieces. He knew how she got about Apple White. "Why does it matter?"

This was, apparently, the wrong thing to say.

Duchess whirled on him, eyes flashing. " _So_ I'm sick and tired of _Apple White_ getting _everything_ she wants! And now, _now_ she has the gall to want even more!" Her lip curled dangerously.

"Dude, you're not gay, are you?"

"What?" Duchess honked, taken completely off-guard.

"I mean, you're making such a big deal out of Apple being hot for Raven that it just seems like—"

"I recommend you stop _right there_ , Sparrow Hood, if you don't wish to be _wearing_ this guitar!" Duchess snapped, her voice raising an octave as she brandished the guitar threateningly. Sparrow let out a decidedly unmanly squeak.

Rolling her eyes, Duchess turned back to surveying the courtyard. "I'd give up ballet before so much as _looking_ at either of them _like that_ ," she added in a huff.

"There's nothing wrong with liking girls, you know," Sparrow said, attempting to ease the tension. Unfortunately, his words appeared to have the opposite effect entirely.

"I _know_ that!" Duchess snapped, face dusted with a pretty coating of maroon. "I was referring to…to _those_ two!" She jerked her head in the direction of Apple and Raven, who had now been joined by Dexter Charming, though Apple didn't seem to approve of this development, as she'd folded her arms over her chest, apparently sulking. Then, on second thought, "And I _don't_ like girls."

Sparrow raised an eyebrow, but a warning glare from Duchess had the words dying in his throat.

With a huff, the tall dancer spun on her heel, lips pursed in thought. "So Apple White wants Raven Queen…," she mused, more to herself than anything, raising her right hand to her lips in thought. It _was_ infuriating that Apple wasn't satisfied with _just_ her happily ever after and promise of a one true love—something _she_ would never have, she thought, bitterly—but Duchess had always assumed that _Raven_ , at least, was straight.

"Stop it."

Duchess honked in surprise and twirled around, coming face-to-face with Poppy O'Hair. The rebel girl was giving her a deadpan look, arms folded over her chest defiantly. " _Excuse_ me?" Duchess asked, more shrilly than she would have liked.

"I said, _stop it_ ," Poppy repeated, sternly. "I know you're plotting something, and the last thing Apple needs right now is you coming up with one of your ridiculous schemes to steal her destiny and fuck up her life in the process."

Duchess swelled in self-righteous indignation. "Who do you think you are, waltzing up to me out of _nowhere_ and demand—"

"Dude, deflate," Poppy interrupted. This, of course, served the exact opposite purpose as intended, but Poppy blatantly ignored Duchess's growing ire. "I didn't come over here to talk to you—I wanted to talk to Sparrow about his next band practice."  
Duchess felt her face grow hot. Of _course_. How _could_ she have forgotten that Poppy was after Sparrow? She felt her hackles spring up as she automatically went into defensive mode, suddenly hyper aware of Poppy's hand resting on Sparrow's shoulder.

 _Stay away from him_ , a strong, angry voice roared from somewhere deep in her chest, all but drowning out the meeker whisper that echoed from the back of her mind.

 _He's all I have._

"Dude, are you okay?"

Duchess blinked, and then jerked away when she found herself inches from Poppy's face. She spluttered for a moment, flustered. "I am _not_ a _dude_ ," she finally snapped, for lack of a witty retort. Stomping past Poppy, she walked up to Sparrow and grabbed him between his shoulders, _hard_.

Sparrow winced and cried out in protest. "What the fuck, Duchess?"

Turning to keep eye contact as the other girl stormed past, Poppy raised her eyebrows at Duchess, who glared right back. Long, delicate fingers tightened their hold on Sparrow, who yelped in pain.

"Right…," Poppy said, watching the interaction, then shaking her head. "Look, whatever your problem is now, just don't take it out on Apple, okay? She's got enough shit to deal with without you making her life miserable."

"What _exactly_ are you implying?" the taller girl asked icily.

Poppy scoffed at this, rolling her eyes. "Gee, I don't know, Duchess," she said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Just that I came over here to talk to Sparrow and find you watching Apple and Raven looking like you swallowed a lemon." She sighed. "Look, I'm sorry your destiny sucks. I get it—I mean, look at me, I don't even _have_ a destiny. But going around and messing with other people's destinies isn't going to change anything."

Duchess's grip on Sparrow was now so tight that her knuckles had gone white, and Sparrow looked like he might pass out at any moment. " _My_ destiny is none of _your_ business," she ground out, trying and failing to hide how much that comment had gotten to her. "And neither is anything that I do, O'Hair. Now, if you _don't_ mind, _we_ have somewhere to be," she snapped, practically yanking Sparrow to his feet. She looped her arm tightly through his when he stood, not without a meaningful look at Poppy.

Without another word, Duchess stormed past, Sparrow in tow, leaving Poppy to groan and roll her eyes in frustration. She was pretty sure Duchess hadn't comprehended a word she'd said past that bit about coming over to see Sparrow.

"If this is what I get for trying to be a good friend," she muttered, sitting down on the bench Sparrow had just vacated, "maybe Kitty has the right idea."

Being a chaotic-neutral cat-girl sounded pretty good right about now, especially since Poppy was pretty sure trying to play the good girl had just gotten her bumped to the very top of Duchess Swan's formidable blacklist.

* * *

"Hey, Apple…?"

Apple blinked, lifting her head only to find herself inches from gray-violet eyes. Her heart skipped a beat, and her eyes fell to plump, dark lips as if drawn in by a magnet before she remembered herself. Ripping her gaze away from Raven's lips and praying the girl hadn't noticed, she pasted on a smile. "What is it?"

"Umm…" Raven frowned slightly, clearly not fooled by the last-minute smile. "Are you okay? You got kind of quiet when Dexter showed up."

"Oh, did I?" Apple asked, brain switching into emergency-escape mode under Raven's concerned stare. _It's too soon, you can't let her find out! What if she rejects you? What if she_ hates _you?_ "Sorry, I guess my mind was just somewhere else," she giggled. Her mouth, it appeared, was functioning on autopilot. "Besides, I wanted to give you two lovebirds a little privacy," she added with a wink that (hopefully) concealed the fact that saying that with a smile had been like twisting a knife into her own gut.

Raven blushed, and the knife buried itself a little deeper. "Don't call us that," she muttered, embarrassed. Apple felt emotions warring inside of her at this—on the one hand, the fact that Raven was blushing at the mention of herself and Dexter being lovebirds made Apple want to simultaneously cry and punch Dexter in the face. But Raven was so _adorable_ when she blushed…

Apple settled on not addressing either feeling, instead choosing to take a free-fall into the wonderful world of masochism.

"Why not?" she asked, forcing her voice to come out in a suggestive lilt. "You two are always together nowadays, right?"

"We are _not_ ," Raven replied, giving a rather impressive eye-roll (usually reserved for Apple herself). "We're just working on a project together, and it's taking up a lot of time."

Apple hummed, going over this information in her head.

 _So Darling was right…_

Not that Apple had doubted the Charming girl (Darling _was_ her white knight, after all, and was certainly not known to spread baseless rumors), but it was comforting to hear the words from Raven's lips. A feeling akin to hope began to blossom in the princess's chest. She knew it was dangerous to get her hopes up, but she could hardly help it—it was in her nature to be optimistic. Still, a little insurance went a long way…

"Maybe so," Apple began, staring at the ground, unable to look Raven in the eyes, knowing that she wouldn't be able to do so and keep her expression properly trained when she said what she was going to force herself to say next. "But do you _want_ to?"

Raven frowned down at her, confused both by Apple's question and by her roommate's sudden change in demeanor. "Do I want to…what?" she prodded, gently.

"Oh!" Apple chirped, her face flushing. "That was vague, wasn't it?" She giggled, and Raven got the distinct impression that the blonde was acting a little _too_ cheerful. And, given how Apple usually acted, this was a rather frightening thought. Still, she kept silent, waiting for Apple to explain. "I just meant," the other girl began, "I mean…do you want to be…you know, _more_? With…with Dexter?"

One dark, slim eyebrow rose. It wasn't like Apple at all to be so shy about matters of romance—particularly when they involved Raven and her (nearly non-existent, she thought with an internal sigh) love-life. She was beginning to grow concerned for her friend, but chose not to voice her concern just yet.

She thought about what Apple had asked her, her face taking on a light pink hue. Vaguely, somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered that this wasn't really any of Apple's business. But for some reason, saying this, or remaining silent, felt like lying to Apple, and Raven's insides twisted at the thought.

"I…well, I guess I wouldn't mind if he asked me," she admitted to her feet, face flushing even darker. This statement was met with a silence that lasted just long enough to seem unusual, and as a result, Raven lifted her gaze back up to Apple just in time to catch the girl wearing an expression that didn't seem to fit the situation at all.

Apple's head was ducked slightly away from Raven's view, her lips pursed and her eyebrows furrowed. Her arms were folded tightly over her ribs so that her chest was slightly accentuated, and Raven wasn't sure, but she thought Apple's fingertips were digging into the skin of her arm.

"Apple?" she asked, no longer trying to hide her concern.

Apple jerked in shock, blinking rapidly and whirling her head back around to face Raven, whose pretty features were contorted in concern. "Huh?" she asked, slightly breathless, as if she'd been caught daydreaming. "Oh!" she squeaked, noticing her roommate's concern. "Sorry, Raven, I think I spaced out for a second there. So, you like Dexter, then?"

Her voice was even higher than normal, and again, her smile seemed overly bright, as if she were trying very hard to keep it that way. Raven frowned at Apple, but the blonde was so caught up in compensatory babbling that she didn't notice.

"Well, he's certainly a sweet guy. And he's not bad-looking, either. I mean, he's certainly not _my_ type, but—"

Raven watched her friend carefully. If she hadn't known any better, she would have sworn that Apple was _jealous_. She'd seen that expression maybe a hundred times on Duchess Swan, after all, whenever the tall dancer got overlooked for another princess, or happened to see Apple being fawned over in the hallway. But…Duchess got jealous all the time, whether over boys (or couples, as Raven secretly suspected) or someone else's happily ever after. Raven had never seen Apple so much as bat an eyelash at _any_ of the boys, and as the future Snow White, she was guaranteed the happiest ever after of any student at Ever After High. Did she perhaps like Dexter? Maybe she was just good at hiding that kind of thing, but somehow, Raven thought not. Apple excelled at many things, but hiding her emotions was not one of them.

So _why_ had Apple been wearing that expression?

Raven's thoughts were interrupted, however, by Apple finally stopping her nervous babbling long enough to realize that Raven wasn't listening.

"Hey!" Apple quipped in a playfully chastising voice, twirling around so that she was directly in Raven's path. The latter nearly walked into her before realizing that Apple had stopped moving, and blinked down at her owlishly in surprise. "I don't take well to being ignored you know."

"Sorry, Apple," Raven said, making an apologetic face. "It's not that I was ignoring you, I was just…thinking." She flushed, embarrassed by her lame answer.

Apple rolled her eyes playfully. "When are you not thinking?" she asked, giggling. Then she reached out and grabbed Raven's hand, lacing their fingers together. "Come on, we're going to be late to Chemythstry." And with those words, she began to walk purposefully toward the door to the building, nearly dragging a confused Raven along behind her.

* * *

 _That was close_ , Apple thought once she and Raven were in their respective seats. She thought she'd been doing pretty well up until Raven admitted to being okay with Dexter asking her out. I mean, no, it wasn't exactly a love confession, but...she just couldn't _stand_ Raven making that expression for him.

She chanced a glance out of the corner of her eye. On her left, Raven was taking detailed notes, her brows furrowed in concentration, her full lower lip caught between her teeth. With a sharp intake of breath, Apple forced herself to look away.

 _God, I am_ so _gay._

Briefly, she wondered how in the world she'd managed to remain oblivious to this fact for so long. She'd always noticed Raven and her sharp features that seemed so perfect for a fairytale villain, yet so incredibly contradictory to her sweet, slightly bashful personality. _It's a lovely contradiction, though…_ , Apple thought blissfully, chin resting on the palm of her hand as she watched Raven deep in concentration.

She was swiftly jerked out of her Raven-induced trance by something solid colliding with the back of her head. Whipping her head around, her gaze found Briar, who was holding an eraser and appeared to be poised to chuck it at her. When their eyes met, Briar raised her eyebrows meaningfully, and, with a smirk, mouthed something that looked suspiciously like, " _Gaaay_ ".

Apple flushed redder than her namesake. Turning back to the desk she shared with Raven, she directed her attention at the teacher, determinedly _not_ looking at the beautiful girl to her left.

* * *

Satisfied, Briar sat back in her seat.

"Why doesn't Apple would just throw her against the wall and have her way with her already? Obviously it's _killing_ her not to."

Briar snorted, glancing at her own villain out of the corner of her eye. Faybelle was watching the pair, her lip curled, apparently torn between amusement and disgust. "Leave them alone," she said, meaningfully. As true as the fairy's comment had been, Briar needed to make sure Faybelle stayed in line. As much of a pain as Kitty was, if Faybelle got involved, the whole situation could turn into a disaster.

Meeting Briar's gaze out of the corner of her eye, Faybelle scoffed. "Look at _you_ , princess," she said, voice dripping with snark. "Giving out orders now, are we?"

"Protecting my friends," Briar replied, voice firm.

"Relax, _Aurora_. I'm not _plotting_ anything. I have more interesting affairs to involve myself with."

Briar's jaw clenched. "Do _not_ call me that," she hissed, her fingers tightening around her pencil. Faybelle smirked.

"What, _Aurora_?" she asked, assuming a tone of false innocence. "Why not? It's your proper name, isn't it?"

It _was_. It was the name Briar would assume when she took on her mother's role as the next sleeping beauty. It was the name she would bear for a hundred years, asleep while her friends' lives went on without her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Faybelle watching her, and in that instant, knew that the girl had somehow picked up on her second-guessing her destiny.

Of course she had. Faybelle _always_ knew just what to say, always knew just how to say it to get to the usually unflappable Briar Beauty.

"Just keep out of Apple and Raven's business," she snapped, unable to think of anything witty to say in response to Faybelle's comment.

The dark fairy let out a huff through her nose. "Gladly," she said, acidly. "I'll leave fixing other peoples' problems to you. Seems to keep you occupied enough to ignore your _own_. Just how you like it, right, _Aurora_?"

Briar's empty hand clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palm, leaving little crescent shaped reminders. That last comment had more than one meaning, and Faybelle knew it. Briar rolled her eyes. "Right," she said, determinedly ignoring the bait Faybelle was dangling in front of her face. "Just how I like it."

Briar could practically _hear_ Faybelle gritting her teeth, and she allowed herself a smug, if slightly forced, smile. There was _nothing_ Faybelle hated more than not getting her way.

And, really, Faybelle _was_ right. Not that the fairy needed Briar to confirm it, but it seemed to piss her off immensely when she did. _At least it shut her up,_ Briar thought, staring at the blackboard and steadfastly ignoring the hollow feeling in her chest.

* * *

 **So I am planning on having Poppy/Duchess in this story—it's just that it's going to start out hostile, because it's Duchess, and she's always dishing out shit. And Poppy doesn't take anyone's shit. So yeah. I guess it's kind of obvious what I plan to do with Briar at this point…what do you guys think?**

 **Anyway, thought I'd mention at this point—while the plot does revolve around Apple and Raven, the other pairings won't necessarily be background. I intend to give all my favorite pairings as much screen time as they need, and that's been my intention from the beginning. I hope you guys don't mind—a lot of you seem to like the idea of other pairings, so I hope you're still on board. Basically I started this story with the idea that Apple realizing her feelings for Raven causes the whole school to turn on its head. Like, you know, the Ripple Effect? Anyway. Basically I intend to focus on all pairings, with Rapple as the axis everything spins on, if that makes sense.**

 **Please remember to review, and I'll see you next chapter! :)**


	6. Words We Don't Know How to Say

So you guys might have noticed that I don't really have a set schedule or routine for updating. That's mainly because I'm equal parts impatient and random-minded—if I have a chapter finished within a day of another, I usually try to hold back for a while so that I don't disappoint when I don't have a chapter posted for like two weeks (random-minded), but I usually lose patience within two or three days (impatient) and post anyway… Anyway, just so you guys kind of know what to expect (though you've probably noticed already).

I also want to thank you guys for your reviews! I love that you guys put in the extra time to give me really detailed comments and ideas! It's super motivating, and you guys are super supportive of me even though I'm pretty much all over the place with the story (in case you guys couldn't tell, I REALLY like me some side pairings :P). So yeah, just wanted to give you guys an extra thanks!

On to the story!

* * *

 **Breaking Ever After**

 **Five: Words We Don't Know How to Say  
**

* * *

"Cat got your tongue?"

Kitty raised her head from her arms and glared up at Briar, who was looking at her expectantly. "What do you want _now_?" she asked, coldly. "I haven't done anything to your precious friends."

"I know," Briar replied, sitting down across from her. She'd slipped into the library for a bit of time to herself, away from Ashlynn, who wouldn't stop asking her why she was acting strange. Or at least, that had been her plan—when her eyes had locked on to the very unusual sight of a morose Kitty Cheshire, her feet had walked themselves over to her before her mind could catch up. "I find that odd and slightly disturbing. How come?"

"Because you clearly have issues," Kitty growled. "Leave me alone."

Briar rolled her eyes. "You know what I meant," she said, bluntly.

"Yeah, but I don't feel like talking to anyone right now, least of all _you_. Shouldn't you be off somewhere fixing someone else's problems?"

Briar stiffened, remembering Kitty's little comment about 'knowing her secret', as well as her conversation with Faybelle the previous day. But another look at Kitty convinced her that it had been a coincident. The Cheshire girl was looking far too somber to have any new dirt on Briar. "You don't have to talk to me."

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Thank you for your permission, your Majesty."

"…but if you don't, I'll have to go and get Lizzie."

That did the trick. Kitty sat bolt upright, eyes wide and flashing. "Only if you're that desperate to _die_ ," she spat. Then, noticing Briar's smug expression, growled under her breath. After a few moments of silence, she met the taller girl's gaze with a weary expression of her own. "Why do _you_ care?"

The brunette shrugged. "It's disconcerting to see you acting so innocent," she said. "It's beginning to disturb the peace." She gestured to the library at large, and Kitty looked up, only to find a fair amount of students staring at her. She narrowed her eyes and curled her lip threateningly, and suddenly all those who had been watching her found their books very interesting.

"Whatever," Kitty muttered, resting her head back on her arms.

Briar watched her in silence for a moment.

"It's about Lizzie, isn't it?"

"Do you get paid to meddle in other people's lives? Because I can't imagine why else you would put so much energy into it."

"So…it isn't?"

"…"

The silence stretched on for a long moment. Briar simply watched Kitty, who appeared not to notice her stare. But her eyebrow twitched in an irritated fashion, and finally…

"Nothing's _changed_!" Kitty burst out, causing several of the students sitting near her to jump in surprise. Briar raised an eyebrow, and Kitty huffed. "Ever since we talked it out and she said she'd stop spending as much time with Daring…nothing's _changed_."

"And that's…bad?"

"It's…I…I don't _know_!" snapped Kitty, seemingly irritated by her own inability to answer this question. "I just…she told me I meant more to her than any boys, and I just…I thought she understood…"

"Do you like her?"

Kitty stiffened as if someone had placed a metal rod in her spine. For a moment, she looked as if she would try to dance around Briar's question ( _of course I like her, she's my friend_ ), but then she seemed to deflate. She muttered something under her breath.

"Sorry, didn't catch that."

Kitty growled loudly in frustration, earning herself a chastising look from the librarian. "So what if I do?" she snapped in a harsh whisper. "It's not like you've got any room to talk, _Aurora_."

Briar's jaw clenched and she leaned across the table so that she was mere inches from Kitty's face. " _Do not_ call me that," she growled. "It's not _my_ fault that you don't have the balls to tell Lizzie that the reason you were jealous wasn't because you missed your 'friend'."

Kitty glared, but her eyes looked just slightly fearful. Small and petite, Kitty was no match for Briar, who was tall and slim (albeit even then with a much fuller figure than herself), physically, and the way Briar had looked at her just then had made her genuinely wonder if the girl would actually punch her.

Briar, seeing the fear on Kitty's face, sighed heavily and sat back in her chair. "Just….," she began, massaging her temples, "Why can't you just talk about things like a normal person instead of just pissing people off when they get too close to the truth?"

Kitty glared down at the table, but she was blushing, revealing a light sprinkling of freckles over her nose.

"Listen," Briar said, watching the girl sympathetically. "You've already admitted to yourself that you like her. That's the hard part, right? Although I get the feeling you already kind of knew even before Daring got involved."

Kitty averted her eyes, but didn't deny this.

Briar sighed. "Listen, Kitty," she said again, "how is Lizzie supposed to know that you want things to change if you don't tell her?"

The lavender-haired girl muttered something along the lines of, ' _she just should_ ', and Briar rolled her eyes.

The brunette stood, fixing Kitty with a stern look that she was sure the cat-girl could see, despite the fact that she had once again hidden her head in her arms. " _Talk to her_ ," she instructed. "She's not psychic, and I know she's the future queen of hearts and all, but you and I both know she doesn't have a whole lot of experience in that particular area." Kitty shifted, which Briar took as a sign that she was listening. "I know you're afraid of rejection," Briar said, more quietly. "And maybe she doesn't feel the same. But maybe she hasn't even considered the possibility of something more. And maybe…" Briar paused, looking down at the lavender ringlets that obscured her view of Kitty's face, "Maybe she's even more afraid of losing you than you are of losing her. And if you don't say anything, maybe nothing will _ever_ change."

She hesitated for a moment, and when Kitty still didn't move, she sighed and turned away, before heading out of the library. She had just wanted some quiet time to herself, but clearly fate had other things in mind.

Once she was sure that Briar was gone, Kitty tilted her head so that just her cheek was resting on her arms, revealing what she had been hiding—red eyes and just a single, fresh tear drawing a track down her cheek.

Because though she'd never admit it aloud, for all the things she was, brave was one thing Kitty Cheshire was not. That was always Lizzie's job.

So now what was she supposed do, when the thing she was afraid of so directly involved Lizzie herself?

* * *

Apple swallowed, hard.

It was 1:00 pm, which found her and Raven in Dance Class-ic, and Baba Yaga had just informed the class that they would be practicing dancing in pairs that day. Usually there would be a fair amount of boys to choose from, but they had been excused by King Charming to take their Advanced Wooing final. So today, the girls would be taking turns leading and being led by each other.

Apple couldn't decide whether to be excited or terrified. She did, of course, want to be partnered with Raven, but she wasn't sure she could trust herself to keep her hands in the…well, the right position. To top it all off, Darling, who she would have otherwise turned to in this situation to avoid any slip-ups, was the only female member of Advanced Wooing, so she was not in class either.

Then again…Apple bit her lip. She wasn't sure how she would feel about Raven pairing up with someone besides her, even if it meant Apple ran no risk of exposing her feelings. And what was she so worried about, anyway? She was a princess, and the future Snow White, on top of that! Of course she could keep her hands to herself for one single class!

Then she glanced at Raven out of the corner of her eye and suddenly, she wasn't quite so confident.

In order for the class to be as realistic as possible, they'd been told to come in formal attire—and Raven was looking absolutely stunning in a tight, deep violet dress that stopped just above her ankles, revealing a pair of matching stilettoes. She had forced herself to busy herself with other things while Raven had changed, and when her roommate had finished dressing and asked Apple in the sweetest, slightly insecure voice how she looked, Apple had turned around and felt all the air leave her lungs.

Having found her eyes unwilling to stay focused on Raven's, instead darting to her chest, her legs, her hips, everywhere but where they should have been, she'd just barely managed to smile and choke out a, "Beautiful." She'd then turned on her heel and led the both of them to class, and had been making a determined effort not to look at Raven since.

But now that she had looked, she couldn't seem to look away, which was exactly what she'd been afraid of. Noticing her gaze, Raven turned and met her eyes and, after a moment, offered her a shy smile that made Apple's heart pound madly in her chest. Belatedly, she returned the smile, and, with a great deal of effort, returned her attention to Baba Yaga, who had just finished telling them to break into pairs.

Immediately, the class was buzzing as the girls searched for their friends and tried to avoid being the one left to dance with the teacher. Apple met Raven's gaze and tilted her head in a silent question, and Raven nodded, grinning. In the spur of the moment, Apple felt herself swell with confidence and, without thinking, she took Raven's hand, twirling her a la Darling Charming. For a moment, she wondered what the hell she was doing, but when Raven laughed (genuinely laughed, not just giggled like she did with Dexter), Apple felt her heart soar. This was why she loved Raven. Not for her beautiful hair or her curvy body (though that certainly didn't hurt), but for the way she _laughed_ , and smiled, and for the way Apple felt like flying when they were together.

Wait… _love_?

Before she could dwell on this thought, however, Raven had stepped well into her personal space, chest pressing up against Apple's bare arm, and suddenly the thought (along with all others) was driven from her mind.

"Look at that," Raven whispered into her ear, her warm breath ghosting over the shell and sending a shiver down Apple's spine. Fighting the urge to melt into Raven, Apple glanced up (her heart leapt into her throat when she saw how close she was to Raven's plump lips), meeting Raven's gaze and following it.

Instantly, Apple knew what Raven was referring to. Across the room, most of the other girls were already paired up with their respective BFFAs, as expected. However, Duchess Swan, whom Apple had expected to pair up with Faybelle or Lizzie or someone similar, was standing next to Poppy O'Hair. Even more surprising was how shocked Poppy looked; it was quite clear whose idea the pairing had been. A few pairs to the right, Apple could see Holly watching her sister, worrying her lower lip between her teeth.

Apple looked back to Raven, who was frowning slightly. She knew Raven was worried about Poppy. The two were fairly good friends, having bonded over their Rebel alignment and their easy-going natures. And Duchess Swan getting involved in anything usually meant trouble for _someone_. Not liking to see the object of her affection looking so upset, even if it was for someone else's sake, Apple laid a gentle hand on Raven's arm.

Raven turned her attention to Apple immediately, and Apple had to bite the happiness she felt at such a reaction. "She'll be fine," Apple murmured, softly. "It's not like it's Ginger or Blondie—Poppy can handle herself."

Raven's posture relaxed slightly, and beneath her hand, Apple could feel her roommate's hackles dropping. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she said after a moment.

"Besides," Apple said, taking on a playful tone, "we've got to focus on class. It's very important, you know." Raven rolled her eyes, unable to hide her amused smile.

"Right," she replied, voice heavy with the snarkiness Apple secretly kind of adored, "because we'll never be able to attract a suitable prince without a _very_ in depth understanding of the Viennese waltz."

"Exactly." Apple winked and, grinning, pulled Raven into the center of the room with the rest of the girls, her anxiety forgotten.

* * *

"Aaand one two three, one two three…"

Baba Yaga's voice carried over the music as the girls danced, some completely out of their element while others appeared to have been doing this their entire lives. Duchess, who had raised all hell at having to lead, was now sullenly guiding Poppy around the room, leading remarkably competently despite the fit she had pitched earlier.

Poppy, on the other hand, was one of the girls who had absolutely no idea what she was doing. She had already managed to step on Duchess's feet twice (and was sorely tempted to do it a third time when Duchess honked at her to watch where she was stepping, and then subsequently snapped that she needed to be looking at _her_ , not her feet), and the constant thinking about exactly where she needed to put her feet was starting to give her a headache. The only comforting thing was that despite Duchess's…well, bitchiness, to put it bluntly, the taller girl was the best dancer in the school, and was easily able to cover for the both of them.

Though why she had wanted to pair up with _Poppy_ in the first place… Poppy could understand not wanting to pair up with Lizzie, as nobody in their right mind wanted to get on the bad side of Kitty Cheshire. But Faybelle, who Duchess usually defaulted to on class projects (when she wasn't aiming for a high grade), had been completely free.

Her question was answered soon after, however, when Duchess leaned forward so that Poppy's head was practically cradled in her neck, and hissed, "Stay away from Sparrow."

"Are you—" Poppy began, loudly, and then yelped when Duchess stamped on her foot with her ice-white high heels. "Are you _serious_?" she asked, in a whisper this time. "I am _so_ not after your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend," Duchess snapped, her breath hot against Poppy's ear as she spun the both of them. Poppy only just managed to keep her footing, and she had the distinct impression that Duchess was making this dance more complicated than it needed to be.

"Right," Poppy replied, slightly annoyed now. She had no intention of dating Sparrow Hood now or ever, but Duchess's accusations were tempting her to act as if she _were_ interested just to piss her off. "Well, whatever twisted reason you have for being so possessive of your not-boyfriend, you can chill." Duchess gave a just-barely muted squawk of indignation. "I don't like Sparrow, okay?"

"I don't believe you," Duchess hissed, either not hearing or ignoring Poppy's other comment. Her grip tightened reflexively, forcing Poppy closer to her.

" _Of_ course you don't," Poppy muttered, rolling her eyes so far back they almost disappeared into her head. "And could you ease off? It's kind of hard to breathe like this."

Duchess flushed brightly, something Poppy might have found funny were she not so intently focused on her feet. The hand on her waist loosened slightly.

Another dance, and Baba Yaga turned off the stereo, causing the girls to come to an abrupt halt. "Good work today, ladies," she said, clapping her hands. "You are free to go, and remember to practice!"

Poppy went to grab her things, but was stopped by a hand catching her wrist in a vice grip. "Wha—"

Before Poppy could voice her protest, Duchess had yanked her back to herself so that their faces were mere inches apart. They were now even closer than they had been while dancing, and reluctantly, Poppy was forced to acknowledge that, for all her spite, Duchess really was _very_ pretty.

"I'll be watching you, O'Hair," she hissed, eyes narrow.

Poppy scoffed, rolling her eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time that class period. "Be more cliché, _Swan_ ," she replied flatly. Duchess's nostrils flared warningly, and rather than get into a heated argument right under the teacher's nose, Poppy slipped out of her grip. "Whatever."

She grabbed her bag and threw it rather ungracefully over her shoulder, despite the fact that she was in full formal attire, fully aware of Duchess's eyes boring into her back. She wasn't scared of Duchess. The girl would never actually _hurt_ anyone—she wasn't truly malicious, no matter how nasty she got. However, Poppy had a feeling that having Duchess breathing down her neck was going to get old, and fast, no matter _how_ pretty the taller girl was.

* * *

"Are you okay?"

Holly was waiting for her twin right outside the classroom door, and had jumped on her the second Poppy exited.

"I'm fine, Holly," Poppy replied, rolling her eyes fondly at her sister. "Just Duchess being…you know. Duchess."

Holly bit her lip. "She didn't say anything _too_ horrible, did she?"

Poppy scoffed. "No, just told me to stay away from her not-boyfriend."

"Not-boyfriend?"

Poppy shrugged as the two walked back toward the dormitories. "Apparently she and Sparrow aren't actually dating," she said. "But she's super possessive of him, so…I don't know."

They walked in silence for a moment. Then Holly opened her mouth again, and Poppy groaned internally, knowing what she was going to say before the words escaped her lips.

"Why do you even _like_ her?"

" _Holly_ ," Poppy groaned, throwing her head back in exasperation. "Can we _not_?" Holly stopped, causing Poppy to walk into her. " _Come on._ "

"Don't give me that," Holly said, folding her arms sternly over her chest. "Why do you like Duchess Swan when she's such a bitch to you?"

"I don't— _ugh_ ," Poppy growled, rubbing her forehead aggressively. "It's not like I'm in love with her, Holly! It's just…a crush, is all," she said, averting her eyes, her cheeks flushing slightly. "And she's a bitch to everyone."

Holly rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine," she said. "But why do you have a crush on her? Even if she's a bitch to everyone, that still makes her a bitch to you! Especially now."

Poppy sighed. If she was perfectly honest, she didn't _know_ why she had a crush on Duchess Swan. The tall girl with the streaked hair had just…caught her eye since day one. There was just something _about_ her that drew Poppy's gaze to her like a magnet, something not even Duchess's rotten attitude could discourage. "I know," she said, with a sigh. Duchess had never even noticed her until that whole ice-skating incident, and right when Poppy had thought _maybe_ she had a chance… "And now she thinks I'm stealing her boyfriend."

"Her _not-_ boyfriend?"

"Whatever," Poppy replied with a dry laugh. "I don't even _want_ to know what's going on there." She started walking again, shoulders slightly slumped.

Holly, jogging for a few steps to catch up, surveyed Poppy in silence for a long moment. Poppy didn't seem upset so much as just… _deflated_. Having your crush convinced that you were out to steal their…whatever it was…couldn't be easy, no matter how Poppy tried to brush it off. Her sister had to have a reason for liking Duchess Swan. Poppy wasn't the type to go for looks alone, though, from what Holly could see, that was all Duchess had going for her. Clearly, though, Poppy had seen something more, and Holly hated seeing her twin so discouraged. "If…," she began, her sense of reason battling with protectiveness over her sister, "If you really care about her, then try to make her see."

Poppy turned to Holly, frowning. "What?"

"Try to make her see," Holly repeated. "If she won't believe you, try to make her _see_ that you don't want Sparrow. Try to…try to befriend her. If you like her, there must be something more to her than just bitchiness, right? Try to get past that."

Poppy was silent for a moment, staring at Holly. Then she turned back to face in front of her, not looking at her sister. "She's…she's beautiful when she dances," she said quietly, after a moment, color blooming in her face. "And when she's happy. When she smiles…" She broke off, staring at the ground in embarrassment.

"Then go after her," Holly said, unable to keep a smile off her face. She loved romance stories. Writing it was great, but watching it play out before her eyes, even if it involved her little sister possibly getting hurt…was _amazing_. The expressions, the hesitation, the joy, the heartache… "Even if she doesn't fall for you, at least you'll have made a friend." She grinned mischievously, nudging Poppy in the side. "And maybe she'll be nicer once she gets laid."

Poppy groaned, face flushing even darker. "Shut up, Holly," she muttered, walking off, her giggling twin following several steps behind. Still…annoyed and embarrassed though she was, there was now a tiny flicker of hope burning in her chest. "And nobody said anything about falling."

* * *

A/N: I actually tried drawing Kitty and posted on DeviantArt, but it didn't turn out like I wanted it T_T Then again, my drawings never do :/ It looked worse when I tried to color it xD

SO. I decided to give Poppy a little crush on Duchess from the get-go. Because let's face it—whether you like Duchess or not, she's one of the hottest girls in the school. Possibly THE hottest girl (but then there's Lizzie, I love her hair…and Darling, but she's more sweet and chivalrous than outright HOT…). But I didn't want her to be like 'oh, I love her so much, she's so perfect', because she's not. And I see Poppy as a realist, and as such, I think Poppy, even with a crush, still sees Duchess as a bitch (at this point). Speaking of which, it's fun to write Duchess. She's such a bitter little bitch (though she's got more of a right than most), pretty much nothing is too nasty for her to say xD Of course as time goes on, she'll get better. I see Duchess as being insecure despite knowing how pretty she is, and I think she needs someone like Poppy to make her grow as a person and realize that she's worth something.

Holly's a good sister. Unlike me. I'm the older sister but you'd never know it by the way my sister and I act toward each other.

OKAY. So, with all those musings voiced, please remember to review and look forward to the next chapter! :) I hope you guys continue to enjoy this story!


	7. Coming Together and Falling Apart

After posting some drawings on DeviantArt (and multiple failed attempts at digital coloring), I have decided to stick to what I actually have at least some feasible talent for xP

Thusly, here is another chapter.

We've finally got Raven's POV here—it's a mostly Rapple chapter, but we delve a bit deeper into Briar's situation as well toward the end. I kind of like how Briar's bit turned out…I hope you guys do too! It's not often I like something I write…maybe it's the alcohol, and it's actually godawful. …Well, anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it, at least, and please leave me a review!

* * *

 **Breaking Ever After**

 **Six: Coming Together and Falling Apart  
**

* * *

Raven wasn't entirely positive, but she was _pretty_ sure that Apple was purposefully blocking her interactions with Dexter.

She had thought that maybe the touch on her hip at the exact time Dexter had touched her hand may have been an accident. And maybe Apple was just being a good friend when she had fixed her hair. But when Apple had claimed to be tired during break and rested her head against Raven's shoulder…she was pretty sure she had seen the blonde flash a smug look in Dexter's direction. And then there was also that time during lunch when Dexter had gone to touch her hand just as an audible _whump_ had sounded from below the table. The boy had winced and drawn back, and, upon looking to Apple (planning to share a confused look), had found the girl with her lips pursed in a way that looked as if she were holding back a smile.

What wasn't quite as easy to figure out were Raven's own feelings about it. She had liked Dexter Charming for a long time, but her feelings had never really _intensified_ , and though she knew it should annoy her, Apple's actions left her more confused than angry. The blonde had spent the first half of lunch sulking, and then had intercepted every one of Dexter's attempts to initiate contact with Raven. Raven would normally assume that Apple liked Dexter, but…but then why would Apple have fixed Raven's hair? Dexter hadn't been touching her, nor had he been about to do it himself. The only other option she could think of was that Apple not trying to keep Raven away from _Dexter_ , but…the other way around.

But surely Apple White, who had stuck behind her destiny like glue, was straight. Apple's recent sulking and fluctuating moods whenever Dexter was mentioned couldn't possibly be the result of Apple being jealous of _Dexter_ …could they?

More importantly, though…if they _were_ …how did Raven feel about it?

She'd never thought about Apple that way before, though in hindsight, it should have crossed her mind at some point, if only because of the amount of affection Apple showered her with on a daily basis just by being Apple.

Raven certainly couldn't object based on looks—Apple was one of the prettiest girls in the school, alongside Duchess Swan (whose personality superseded her good looks). And Apple was the most genuinely nice person Raven had ever met; the level of kindness that Apple showed to every person she encountered would have seemed completely fake on anyone else. But…was Raven _attracted_ to her?

Apple could be annoying, overly talkative and extroverted. She drew people to her like magnets, and didn't take well to being ignored. She could be even more stubborn than Raven herself when she was truly set on something, as she'd proven when she'd constantly hounded Raven to sign the Storybook of Legends and ensure both their destinies. She was always attached to Raven, like glue, though that had gotten less annoying as Raven had become accustomed to being touched. Still, Apple was… _different_ , so opposite Raven that sometimes she couldn't believe they got along so well.

But then she thought of all the affection, all the little touches that she was quite sure Apple did completely subconsciously. She thought of her own reaction to those touches, and to Apple's kindness…

And then she thought of Apple back when she'd been cursed to act the opposite of herself, and how devastated she, Raven, had been. It was as if Apple had disappeared, and as bright as she made the world, her opposite counterpart made it dark. And Raven…

Raven had felt as if someone had ripped a hole right through her chest. She remembered facing Apple, remembered feeling as if she'd swallowed a large rock, and it had gotten stuck in her throat. And still…even then, Apple's voice had sent a chill down her spine, one that Raven had ignored at the time, faced with a much greater issue. But now that she thought about it…that chill hadn't been entirely unpleasant. As devastated as she had been, Raven couldn't help but to be in awe of evil Apple, who had been so confident, so sure of her actions, just like her Apple…and that voice, dark and sultry, completely alien and yet familiar, like a word on the tip of her tongue. It hadn't just been fear that voice had left Raven with.

And when she had gotten Apple back, _her_ Apple, she'd been so overjoyed, so light, like a huge weight had been lifted. And…

And she had never wanted to let Apple go again.

"Guess that answers that question," she muttered to herself, sitting down on her bed and staring blankly at Apple's side of the room.

Now she just had to hope that Apple wasn't actually after Dexter, or just upset that they hadn't been spending as much time together… As she'd thought only moments before, in her mental pro-con list, Apple didn't take well at all to being ignored. Perhaps she was just acting out more since it had been for a more extended period of time. The more Raven thought about it, the more she began to think she'd jumped ahead of herself by a few feet. Apple White, the future Snow White and queen to Daring Charming's king, gay? The girl had spent months trying to get Raven to sign the Storybook of Legends because she wanted her happily ever after to be _perfect_. There was no _way_ Apple would completely throw her destiny away to be with her fairytale villain, of all people.

She groaned, falling back on her bed with her arm thrust over her eyes, kind of wishing she hadn't thought about the possibility at all. "Oh, well," she muttered to herself. "Too late now." At least she wasn't in love with Apple or anything. "That'd be really bad," she said with a dry laugh, responding to her own thoughts.

After several minutes lying like that, she felt herself grow tired, and, before she knew it, she'd fallen fast asleep.

* * *

"Raven? Raven, I—"

Apple's words died on her lips as she slipped into their shared room. Raven was on her bed, facing away from Apple, legs pulled up to her chest and arms wrapped around a pillow. From the steady movement of her chest, Apple guessed she was fast asleep.

"Geez," she said, quietly, going to turn on a lamp instead of the overhead light. "Falling asleep on a perfectly lovely Saturday afternoon…"

Apple herself had just returned from a trip into town with Briar and Ashlynn. The latter had functioned quite successfully as a buffer; Apple had been worried that Briar would tease her or badger her about Raven, but as Ashlynn was unaware, Briar had apparently decided to bite her tongue.

Speaking of Raven…

Setting her bags down on her bed, Apple chanced a glance at her roommate for the first time since she'd entered the room. _This is dangerous_ , she thought, vaguely, without any real emotion as she gingerly sat on the edge of the bed. Raven looked so peaceful like this, her expression lax, long hair falling over her pale features. She looked so beautiful, so defenseless...

Apple was struck by a sudden, profound urge to kiss those plump, magenta lips, one that trumped all previous urges. It was so intense that she was only inches away from Raven's face—close enough to count each pale, near-invisible freckle on her nose—before she realized what she'd been about to do. She reeled backwards and, in the heat of the moment, fell right off the bed.

" _Shit_ ," she whispered as she pulled herself up into a sitting position.

The curse felt foreign to her lips, and wasn't at all related to her sore backside.

How could she, Apple White, the future Snow White, have such little control over here most basic desires? It was nothing short of shameful! Looking back up at Raven and feeling the overwhelming urge return with gusto, Apple shook her head, hard. She'd worry about her rapidly deteriorating self-control later—right now, one thing (and only one thing) was very, very clear.

She had to get out of here before she did something both of them would regret.

* * *

Darling didn't seem at all surprised when Apple finished her explanation for why she had come barreling into the library, grabbed the knight around the wrist, and then locked the both of them in the nearest broom cupboard. Before Apple could decide whether to be relieved or insulted, Darling spoke.

"So that's it?" Her tone was confused, though it didn't hide the underlying trace of amusement. "That's what you're so upset about? That's why you dragged me in here?"

The Charming girl shuddered to think of the impression they'd left on the fifty or so students in the library. Apple White barging into the library and dragging Darling Charming off to some nondescript broom cupboard…as if they hadn't given the student body enough to talk about lately. And in case that wasn't enough, Darling was fairly certain she'd Duchess Swan watching from the rafters as she'd been carted out. She wondered if Duchess's dislike for Apple would extend to her… She sighed internally. Any other girl would have stopped and demanded an explanation, but Darling just couldn't refuse a damsel in distress (and Apple _had_ been _very_ distressed). Such was the price of being a knight…

"I almost _kissed_ her!" Apple moaned, running her fingers spasmodically through her hair. She was almost hyperventilating now. "She was fast asleep, and I almost _kissed_ her! I almost took advantage of her!"

Darling raised an eyebrow, though it was hard to see in the dark of the cupboard. "Correct me if I'm wrong," she said, slowly, keeping her tone steady so as not to upset Apple further, "but…doesn't your entire destiny revolve around something similar?"

Apple groaned. "That's…that's _different_ ," she said, unable to come up with a reason _why_ it was any different. Her shoulders slumped in defeat.

Darling hummed softly. "You know, my princess," she said after a moment, ducking down causing Apple to meet her eyes, "It's perfectly normal to feel like that around someone you have feelings for. To want to hold them, be with them, protect them…" She broke off, observing Apple for a moment. "You know, I'm not sure you've ever had these kind of feelings for anyone before Raven. You certainly never cared for my older brother in that way."

"It's—it's not like he's not a perfectly good—"

Darling giggled. "Oh, I have no qualms with your feelings or lack thereof for Daring," she corrected. "To be perfectly honest, he's been quite obnoxious recently. That wasn't my point. I meant…these feelings are all new to you, so it's bound to feel…well, strange, at times. But what you're feeling toward Raven is perfectly normal to feel toward someone you have feelings for."

"Oh…," Apple murmured, thoughtfully.

" _Anyway_ ," Darling said, glancing around at their surroundings, "I'd be happy to talk to you about any worries you have in the future. But perhaps we should find a better meeting place?"

Apple blinked, glanced around, thought for a second, and then flushed redder than a tomato. "Oh, Darling, I'm so sorry, I can't imagine what that must have looked like—"

"Don't worry about it," said Darling with her usual enigmatic smile. "I'm sure someone else is doing that as we speak." She giggled when Apple made a noise between a squeak and a gasp and smacked her arm without any real force. "Come on," she said, taking Apple's hand and guiding her out of the closet with a brazen wink. "Those rumors aren't going to fuel themselves."

* * *

Briar whipped around, caramel locks splaying magnificently behind her. She had been positive she'd heard something, but…she found herself facing an empty hallway.

Growling under her breath, she turned back around and continued on her way, though her steps were now decidedly heavier.

Briar hated being this tense. It was stressful, it wasn't in her nature and more than anything, it wasted time.

Precious time.

But this…this _anxiety,_ she assumed, had been Faybelle's intention all along, with that stupid comment, and the use of her destined name. That was just how Faybelle was. She'd never come out and blatantly start anything, but it was like that day in chemythstry, some mutual nerve had snapped between them. Briar had a nasty feeling that the (very) tense armistice that had existed between them for several years now (based mostly on mutual ignorance of the other) had come to its end.

If it'd only lasted a little longer…just another year, when Briar was due to leave…well, _everything_ unrelated to her destiny behind. There were blessings hidden within every curse (and vice versa), as she'd come to learn quite against her will over her time at EAH.

In approximately a year, Briar Beauty would leave all of her friends and loved ones behind in order to follow in her mother's shoes and keep tradition alive. And that sucked. Majorly. But those weren't the only things she would be saying goodbye to. There were other, less pleasant…more complicated things, as well. Things she didn't know how to feel about leaving behind.

And Briar hated not knowing how to feel. She hated the anxious, sick feeling it left in her chest for days on end. There had been a time when that was all she had felt, and that hadn't even been the worst part. The worst part had been the hollowness that had replaced it when it had finally left her alone.

And she'd stayed like that for a while. Always wondering, always regretting, until one day she decided it was time to free herself. If she was going to spend a hundred years in a cursed sleep, she sure as hex wasn't going to spend the few remaining years she had left awake in a perpetual state of numbness.

She'd made her choice. There was no going back, no changing what had happened. All that was left was to move on, and leave the past where it lay.

But there's a funny thing about the past.

It has a way of catching up to you right when you least expect it.

She looked around, vaguely surprised. She had made it back to the dormitory she shared with Ashlynn without even realizing it. Suddenly feeling dirty, Briar stripped out of her dress and heels in one fluid motion, without even a hint of reservation. She probably would have done the same even if Huntlynn (Maddie, again…) had been hanging out there instead of in the boys' dormitories. She'd never been particularly prudent in regards to showing skin (a fact that annoyed some girls at EAH *coughcough*Duchess*coughcough*). In Briar's opinion, there were things much more personal than skin, and curves.

 _Although…they_ are _delicious on the right body…_

Shaking her head, Briar stepped into the bathroom, already feeling cleaner just from the cold tile against the soles of her feet.

If Faybelle wanted to dredge up the past…well, let her.

"Bring it on, bitch," Briar muttered, turning on the tap and stepping into the spray of the shower. A subconscious shiver of delight ran down her back at the feeling of the hot water against her tanned skin.

But as she ran her fingers through her hair and grabbed the shampoo bottle (rose, of course, with a hint of vanilla), one thought arose, entirely unbidden, in the back of her mind.

A voice, not her own, broken and choked (but firm, and unwavering), repeating words that had been spoken years ago.

 _"Just remember, it's_ you _who's breaking your heart,_ Aurora. _Not your mother. Not your destiny. Certainly not_ me _._ You. _"_

Briar scoffed. It echoed loudly in the small bathroom.

"I didn't break anything," she muttered into the hot spray.

But even as she spoke, her hand tightened, her knuckles turning white around the bottle of shampoo.

* * *

 **My eventual goal is for all these stories/pairings to tie into each other (no, not like THAT…probably xP) at some point, just like they all spawned in some way, shape or form from the Rapple. That is clearly a while away. I really appreciate all of you for sticking with me on this—I know it must seem really scattered. It's because it's the way I think, I'm sure, but I am trying to keep everything tied together! Please, let me know if you want to see anything in future chapters—who knows, maybe I'll get inspired :P**

 **Please leave me a review (food for my soul, guys, plus it really does motivate me) and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	8. I Wonder

**It's a bit shorter than I'd like, but noticing how long it's been since I've posted, I decided to go ahead and post anyway. I really hope you like this one—I'm really trying to do all the pairings justice, so there may be more chapters like this, where the focus is pretty solely on one or two characters, but don't worry—I won't leave anyone behind! Please review, it makes my heart happy :)**

* * *

 **Breaking Ever After**

 **Seven: I Wonder…**

* * *

Ginger Breadhouse was what she liked to call a 'shipper'.

She shipped everyone from fictional characters to her own classmates, her ship list arguably rivalling that of Holly O'Hair.

So when she caught wind of her OTP possibly _going canon_ , she was understandably ecstatic. It wasn't necessarily unexpected—after all, Apple did spend most of her time hanging off of Raven's arm like a particularly enamored ragdoll—but still, there lies a certain thrill in the canonization of one's OTP.

However, the more she watched, the more she wondered if maybe the whole thing was one-sided. With Raven spending so much time with Dexter, and Apple, in turn, drawing away from the both of them, it was starting to seem less and less like a fairytale.

In fact, there were already certain rumors floating around (headed by, Ginger suspected, a certain tall, snobbish ballerina) that Apple, heartbroken over the Dexven, was taking solace in the arms of Darling Charming.

This rumor, Ginger had mixed feelings about.

There was a small part of her (very small, nigh insignificant) that swooned whenever Darling walked past, offered her a smile or, god forbid, _touched_ her. It was that same part of her that had awoken that fateful day—the day she'd fallen into Wonderland—that one insistent part of her that wished desperately that _she_ were a princess, like Apple or Briar (or hex, even _Duchess_ ), so that she could be worthy of saving, or of a true love's kiss. It was a feeling she'd been unfamiliar with up until meeting the White Knight and feeling so safe and _important_...

When Darling had revealed herself, Ginger had expected…well, she hadn't really _expected_ anything, since it had completely blindsided her. But she _hadn't_ expected the longing to continue. She _hadn't_ expected to be just as charmed (and maybe just a little bit more so) by the sweet, sometimes adorably awkward, sometimes achingly chivalrous Darling Charming as she had been by her imagined (and most certainly _male_ ) hero from Wonderland.

But despite her expectations, Ginger found heart jumping whenever Darling smiled at her, found herself blushing whenever Darling talked to her, and a surge of longing pulsing through her whenever Darling touched her.

Therefore, when Ginger heard the rumor about Apple and Darling running off together at odd times, or getting suspiciously close during class, it made her heart ache, just a little bit.

She knew she never had a chance of being the damsel to Darling's knight, of course—she wasn't a princess, and besides that, she wasn't even a _good guy_ , according to destiny. Still, it did hurt when Darling lowered her lips to Apple's hand, or when Apple swooped in out of nowhere and dragged the knight off to god knows where. But Ginger kept her smile determinedly in place, just like she always had. After all, the only thing worse than having unrequited feelings for Darling would be to have the entire school find out about it.

And it did seem that there were shreds of truth to the rumors. Duchess Swan hadn't been the only one to see Apple dragging Darling into a broom closet. Half the students who had been in the library that day were telling the same tales. And Ginger herself had seen the two girls playing the perfect pair in Damsel-in-Distressing.

Ginger wasn't one to stand in the way of True Love. If Apple and Darling were indeed each others'…well, it made both her shipper heart and her real heart ache, but she would support them as determinedly as she smiled.

And it wasn't like there were no other knights in the school. If anything, shouldn't she, as a female, prefer one of the boys? Even Daring Charming himself appeared to be up for grabs now that Lizzie Hearts was making her platonic intentions clear.

 _But_ , a pathetic, embarrassingly whiny voice echoed in the back of her head, _I want_ Darling.

For the first time in her life, Ginger Breadhouse understood how Duchess Swan must feel all the time. And really, she couldn't blame Duchess for being bitter, mean and just plain nasty.

But she wouldn't let that happen to her.

* * *

For the first time in her life, Apple White was beginning to understand the phrase 'alone in a crowd'. She was sitting outside in the campus courtyard, alongside a good number of the royal girls, watching Daring, Sparrow and a few other guys practicing bookball. Around her, the majority of the girls were chattering amongst themselves, occasionally squealing or tittering when one of the guys would pull off a spectacular move (it was near pandemonium when Daring took off his shirt).

A few weeks prior, Apple was sure she would have found herself joining in with the other girls, cheering the boys on and getting excited whenever they showed off. And that was kind of funny, now—Apple had always just assumed that all the girls just pretended to be excited like she had. But now, in hindsight, she realized that was probably just her. Daring was quite attractive, after all. He just wasn't _quite_ Apple's type. If she imagined Raven in his position, on the other hand…

A wave of… _something_ ran up Apple's body, making her stomach feel funny and her nerves twitch in a way that was positively…

" _Delicious…_ "

"Dare I even ask?"

Apple blinked, then whirled around. She'd quite forgotten about Briar, who'd been sitting just to her left the entire time and had, unbeknownst to Apple, been watching her BFFA for the past few minutes. It was more amusing than she'd admit to literally watch as the thoughts raced through Apple's mind, all reflected on the future Snow White's face like a television screen.

Apple finally appeared to find her voice. "Wh-what? I didn't…"

"Yeah, you kinda did," Briar replied, smirking as Apple flushed, her face turning red for an entirely different reason than it had a few moments before.

Apple opened her mouth, then, just as quickly, snapped it shut. She appeared to deliberate for a moment, biting her lower lip. Then, so quietly that Briar almost didn't catch it, "I can't stand it."

Briar cocked an eyebrow. "You're gonna have to elaborate, sweetie."

"I can't…I don't know how much longer I can _stand_ it, Briar," Apple said, and there was a note of urgency in her voice that peaked Briar's attention. "Just the other day I almost…" She glanced around her—thankfully the girls nearest her (Ashlynn and Holly) appeared entirely engrossed in the game—and lowered her voice. "I almost _kissed_ her, Briar! While she was _asleep_!"

The brunette snorted in a distinctively undignified manner, causing those nearest her to cast wary looks her way before turning back to their own business.

Blushing madly, Apple fixed her with the best scowl she could muster. Given her current state of embarrassment, however, it was unfortunately not very convincing. " _Briar_ ," she whined, slapping her BFFA's arm, "this is _serious_! I don't know what to _do_ , and if things keep going this way, I'm going to end up…shoving her against a wall or something!"

This time, Briar burst out laughing.

" _Briar_!"

Apple's eyes widened as multiple pairs of eyes once again found the two of them, and she sunk back against the large oak tree, willing herself to melt into the wood. Half of her wanted to throw herself onto the girl and slap a hand over her mouth, but the other, more sensible half of herself knew that such an action would only result in calling more attention to them.

Finally, Briar's laughter petered out, and she let out a sigh, falling back against the tree beside Apple, her loose caramel curls spilling over Apple as well as herself. "Oh, god, Apple," she said, sounding a little breathless, "you're too much."

Apple huffed, now thoroughly annoyed with her friend. "See if I ever confide in you again," she muttered, face still flush with embarrassment.

"Oh, come on, Apple," Briar wheedled, throwing an arm over the other girl's shoulders and giving her a gentle squeeze. "You know I'm always on your side. Team Apple, 100%. Or is that team Rapple?"

" _Briar!_ "

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Briar replied, throwing her hands up in surrender. "Don't have a conniption." She tilted her head to the side, studying Apple. The blonde cast her gaze away from her friend, completely aware that she was being analyzed.

"I came to you for help, Briar," she said, quietly. "I really…I really don't know what to do and I'm—I'm scared." Her voice broke toward the end of this statement, and Briar's heart went out to her BFFA.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, more quietly, moving her arm so that she could trace comforting patterns into Apple's back. The blonde relaxed slightly under the safe touch of her best friend, and for a moment, they just sat there, idly watching the game.

"Why don't you?"

"Hmm...what?" Apple turned her head so that she was looking Briar in the eyes. She could tell that the brunette was serious this time. It was just that now she wasn't making any sense. "What are you talking about? Why don't I what?"

Briar rolled her eyes. "You came for advice because you keep wanting _more_ with Raven, right? It's only natural now that you've realized what you're feeling. It probably feels sudden, and that's what's so scary, right?"

Apple hesitated, then nodded.

"Okay, well, think about it," Briar continued. "Before, when you didn't know what you felt for Raven, back when the thought hadn't even crossed your mind and you were so far in the closet you were encroaching on Narnia—"

"Your _point_?" Apple asked, slightly desperately, her cheeks darkening once again. This was starting to feel like 'Humiliate Apple Day'.

Briar waved a hand in the air, as if to say ' _getting there_ '. "Anyway, didn't you ever feel like…something was missing? Like, you were happy being around her and everything, but it just felt like…like…"

"Like there was this anxious feeling in my chest?" Apple asked quietly, looking down at her legs. "Like…like there was just something _missing_ , like I wanted something _more_ but couldn't name what it was?" She paused, feeling Briar's gaze on her. "Hex, I was so _stupid_ ," she suddenly spat, glaring down at her feet. "Why did it take _Kitty_ pointing it out to me before I realized…you all…you and Kitty, and whoever else knows…I must look like such an idiot. I couldn't even realize my own feelings for someone without having it spelled out for me."

"Don't talk about yourself like that," Briar said sternly, causing Apple to raise her head in surprise. The blonde appeared to be right on the brink of tears. Briar sighed. "Apple…your destiny was handed to you on a silver platter the day you were born. You never had any reasonto doubt it. You never had any _reason_ to so much as _consider_ the possibility that you might not be 100% straight. There's nothing to be ashamed of, okay?" Apple smiled weakly, and Briar gently tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "Okay?"

Apple nodded. "Okay," she said, her voice slightly choked.

"Okay," Briar said softly. Then, leaning back against the tree, she continued on her point as if nothing had happened. That relaxed, attitude, the ability to just brush things off…that was one of the things Apple admired (and envied) about the tall brunette. "Anyway, what I was trying to get at was that your feelings aren't actually all that _sudden_ , Apple. You've just suddenly got a _name_ for them, that's all." Briar shrugged, as if to illustrate her point.

"Okay…I guess that makes sense," Apple said, slowly. "But what about what you said before? About 'why don't I'? Why don't I what?"

"You said you were afraid you'd shove her up against the wall, right?" Briar asked, and, when Apple nodded with a deep blush, continued, "Well, why don't you?"

Apple proceeded to choke on her own saliva. "Wh- _what_?" she managed to squeak between coughs. Luckily, this minor fit had coincided with shirtless Daring tackling shirtless Hunter to the ground. Suffice to say, the collective attention was elsewhere. "I think I misheard that, Briar, it—"

"Judging from your reaction, I don't think you did," Briar replied lightly. "But I'm serious. Well, maybe don't shove her up against a wall, but…why don't you kiss her?"

Apple spluttered incoherently for a long moment. There were so many things wrong with that simple train of thought that she couldn't seem to focus on even one to argue.

"Briar, you can't be serious…?" she said quietly, though she knew the answer even before it was given. Apple knew every one of her BFFA's tells, and there was no trace of a smirk on Briar's full lips, nor even a spark of mischief in her mocha eyes. "I can't…I couldn't…" Finally, one argument managed to make the journey from her rapidly firing neurons to her lips. "What it she _hates_ me?"

It certainly wasn't the argument she had been expecting, but, she realized with a start, it was the one that every other argument ultimately led to.

Briar shrugged. "Then don't," she said, standing up. It was getting dark, and the boys were pulling their shirts back on, signaling the end of the unofficial practice (aka Showoff Session). Then she turned back and offered her hand to Apple, who was looking up at her with wide eyes. "But...you know, I don't know Raven all that well, but I'm pretty sure she's not the kind of girl to hate someone for something like that, even if she doesn't feel the same way." She pulled Apple to her feet. "Besides," she said, turning to pick her purse off the ground, "you're in love with her, right? As your best friend, I like to think I know you pretty well. And…" She straightened, turning back to Apple and appraising her. "I don't think you'd fall in love with someone petty enough to hate you because of it."

Apple stared at the brunette, wide-eyed. "Briar…."

But Briar just waved a hand dismissively, starting to walk back toward the school entrance. "Just something to think about, yeah?" she called over her shoulder.

Apple opened her mouth to call after her, then changed her mind, biting down on her lip instead and staring down at the ground, brows furrowed in thought.

Behind her, several of the other girls looked on, exchanging confused glances with one another.

* * *

That night, despite all of her misgivings and second guessing and better judgement, all Apple could concentrate on was Raven's steady, reassuring breathing across the room, and Briar's voice, still ringing in her ears.

 _Why don't you kiss her?_

* * *

 **I really hope you guys liked that, and I'm sorry it took so long! Like I said in the beginning of the chapter, I really want to do all the characters and pairings justice, and clearly there are some I haven't even started yet (btw, what do you guys think of the new pairing?). I really hope I'm doing okay as far as encompassing the purpose of this story (kind of like a mass ripple effect), and I hope you'll leave me with your thoughts/ideas as always! Please remember to review! It really is the best motivation any author can get!**


	9. Getting Somewhere

**Just a quick note to address certain reviews…I respect that everyone has their own favorite pairings and completely understand that not everyone agrees with my favorite pairings. And I really don't mind hearing about your favorite pairings, either, if you have something constructive to say or something to add besides that. But I really don't see the point in commenting** _ **just**_ **to say that you don't like my pairings. I'm sorry that they're not your cup of tea, but they won't be changing at this point. As much as I wish everyone would enjoy this story, if all you really get out of it is being upset because you don't like my pairings, then why bother with reading it? Again, this is NOT to say that I don't encourage everyone leaving their opinions! I really enjoy hearing everyone's opinions, in fact. It's just a little demotivating when someone comments JUST to say that my pairings suck. Like I said, if that really is ALL you get out of this story, then for your own sake, you probably shouldn't waste your time reading it.**

 **On the other hand, I do want to thank the vast majority of my reviewers for being so awesome and leaving me all the great reviews you do! As always, I encourage you to share your opinions, and I'm always super excited to read all your reviews, especially when you take the time to share specific details that you liked or to share ideas with me! Please don't hesitate to leave your opinions—after several incidents strung out over a few chapters, I just had to make a little note. The above note doesn't even refer to the vast majority of you, so please pay it no mind if it doesn't, and know that your reviews are always super motivating and welcome!**

 **ANYWAY, with that said, here's chapter eight! I hope you guys enjoy it—it's kind of a big one! Please leave me a review after reading and tell me what you think/how I did—I'm not super confident about this chapter, as I'll explain at the end, so please let me know!**

* * *

 **Breaking Ever After**

 **Eight: Getting Somewhere**

* * *

"Is there any particular _reason_ you're stalking me? Or am I just _that_ attractive?"

"Don't flatter yourself, O'Hair!" Duchess snapped, face flushing in spite of herself at Poppy's deadpan remark. She knew ( _knew_ ) that the girl was being sarcastic, because after a week of stalki— _watching_ her, she'd discovered that sarcasm was the other girl's MO. But Duchess wasn't exactly known for her patience, and her feathers were…how should she put it…? Easily ruffled. "I'm just making sure you—"

"Stay away from Sparrow, yeah, I got it," Poppy said, cutting Duchess off. As hard as it was for something to really get under Poppy's skin, Duchess's possessiveness over Sparrow was really starting to wear on her. It was painful enough to have a crush on someone like Duchess Swan _without_ the constant reminder that not only did she not have a chance, but she was actually being perceived as a rival for her rival's affections.

Of course, it was all Poppy's fault to begin with, she knew. She'd known how jealous Duchess could get, _known_ how attached she was to Sparrow (though no one really knew in exactly what _way_ ), and still, she'd just had to mouth off.

 _Me and my big mouth…_

Duchess's lip curled, her pointed nose wrinkling.

She had just exited her General Villainy class and had been heading back to her dorm room, intent on catching Lizzie and heading into town for a night of self-spoiling, when she'd caught sight of Sparrow and Poppy looking quite cozy against a wall just outside of the castleteria.

Okay, so maybe they weren't exactly looking _cozy_ so much as Sparrow pinning a rather annoyed looking Poppy against the wall, and maybe Duchess was totally aware of the fact that Sparrow was kind of a sleazy, womanizing git, and _maybe_ she was entirely sure that if anyone were to blame, it certainly wasn't Poppy. But if there was one thing Duchess was particularly skilled at, aside from dancing, it was blaming others for the shitty things that always seemed to happen to her.

After all, if she didn't blame others…well…who would there be left to blame.

So of course, her blood had instantly boiled, as if she were standing directly atop a stove, and she'd stormed over to them, shoving Sparrow aside without a second thought, and had been turning back to face down Poppy, only to realize that the girl had entirely disappeared. A quick glance or two down the hallway revealed that the girl had simply walked away from Duchess.

Somehow, this pissed Duchess off even more than Poppy's original 'transgression', and the tall ballerina had set to following her, intent on _making_ her listen.

And so here they were, in the hair salon, Poppy preparing for work with Duchess breathing heavily down her neck, looking dangerously close to popping a blood vessel.

Finally, Poppy sighed, her eyes fluttering closed in resignation, before she turned to Duchess, meeting her accusatory glare with a tired stare of her own.

"Look, Duchess, I don't know how many different ways I can say it," Poppy began, voice nearly as exhausted as she appeared. "I mean, at this point, I don't even know why I _bother_ saying it. Clearly you're not going to listen. But I do not now, nor have I _ever_ had _any_ feelings for Sparrow, _whatsoever._ " And then, under her breath, so quietly that even Duchess, with her near superhuman hearing, wasn't sure she'd heard right, "He's not even my type _._ "

Duchess, never one to simply put something to rest, nor to back down from a fight, even a one-sided one, opened her mouth to argue. But then something…well, something very _odd_ happened. Poppy had slumped at the sight of Duchess's eminent rebuttal, eyes full of resignation, exhaustion and…something else that Duchess didn't recognize, and quite suddenly and for quite possibly the first time in her life, Duchess Swan had found herself entirely void of the will to fight.

Now feeling a little tired and a lot confused herself, Duchess's mouth snapped shut with an audible click.

Poppy raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing?" she said. "Not going to argue with me? Not going to try to find a way to twist some completely innocent exchange into a tale of passion and forbidden romance?" Her voice was as sarcastic as ever, but Poppy's furrowed brows gave her away as she eyed the girl across from her with no small amount of concern. Of all the things Poppy wouldn't have put past Duchess Swan, the one thing she'd _never_ seen the future White and/or Black Swan do was shut her mouth once she'd opened it. "You're not sick, are you?"

Duchess's left eye twitched slightly, and at least some of Poppy's worry was put to ease. Clearly the girl's temper was still fully functional, at least. "What do you want, then?" Duchess finally asked, her jaw tight.

It took Poppy a second to comprehend this question, in no small amount because her eyes had been drawn to Duchess's jaw and therefore her perfect bone structure like a magnet. When she finally blinked back to reality, her brows furrowed in confusion. "What do I—what?" she asked. "What are you talking about? I don't want anything!"

Well, that was kind of a lie, but not in the way Duchess was thinking, so it was okay, right?

Duchess scoffed. "Please, I wasn't born yesterday," she snapped. "If you don't like Sparrow, why do you keep hanging around him?"

"Because he won't leave me alone!" Poppy snapped, suddenly filled with a rush of irrational irritation. "You think I _like_ having you dogging my steps every time he so much as glances at me?" _Not that I'd mind if it weren't always about_ him… "What do you want from me, Duchess? Want me to go up to him and loudly declare that I hate his guts? That I never want to see his ugly, arrogant face again? Will you believe me _then_?"

Duchess reeled back, eyes wide in surprise. She'd never seen this much emotion from Poppy. Holly, yes, easily. But Poppy O'Hair was the very definition of laid-back. The tall dancer blinked, feeling something very similar to…well, to _hurt._ " _Well_ ," she snapped, her defensive walls crashing back into place as quickly as they'd fallen, "hexcuse _me_ for _bothering_ you!"

Poppy just stared at Duchess for a long moment, before letting out an involuntary, humorless laugh. "Are you _serious_ right now?" she asked, hands finding her hips. "Now you're _upset_ that I don't _love_ having you constantly hounding me with unfounded accusations?" She laughed again, running both hands through her hair and turning on her heel in frustration, before whipping back around to face Duchess, her face flushing with emotion. "What do you _want_ , Duchess?"

"I—"

But she stopped.

What _did_ she want?

"Look," Poppy said, taking a step closer to Duchess. It was a mark to Duchess's character that she stood her ground in the face of this clearly agitated and very out-of-character Poppy O'Hair. "I _know_ you don't like Sparrow. Anyone with even one functional eye can see that. You looked like you wanted to puke when Madam Maid Marian paired the two of you up in Damsel-in-Distressing. I'm pretty sure you don't even _like_ him, in fact. So what I don't get is why you _care_ so damn much if someone else _is_ interested in him."

It was a mark of how fed up Poppy was that she was able to maintain her cool so close to Duchess. As horrible of a person as she could be, there was no denying that Duchess was one of, if not the, prettiest girls at Ever After High. It was just that she acted so incredibly ugly that she was often overlooked for the sweet, caring Apple White or party-hard, fun-times Briar Beauty. And now, caught so completely off-guard, face slack and for once not full of bitterness or haughtiness, Poppy realized with a start that Duchess was truly _beautiful_.

Contrary to what she told Holly, even Poppy sometimes wondered _why_ she like someone like Duchess Swan. She'd occasionally doubted herself, her moral fiber, and wondered if maybe it really was just the girl's incredibly good looks that attracted Poppy to Duchess like metal shavings to a magnet.

But now, seeing Duchess so open, so entirely caught off guard, for once not hiding her emotions behind ten layers of salt, Poppy knew she never should have doubted herself. There _was_ something more to Duchess Swan than prettiness and snide, jealous remarks. Poppy had known it from the beginning, ever since the day she'd caught Duchess dancing across the lake when she thought nobody was watching. There was no way someone so completely shallow and one-dimensional could dance like _that_ , with so much emotion fueling every effortless, impossibly complex move.

"I…"

Forcing herself back to her senses, Poppy blinked up at the clock and cursed under her breath. She was going to be late, and as much as she didn't want to leave Duchess like this, looking so lost and pained, she couldn't afford to get fired.

"Look," she said, coming to a rushed decision that she really hoped she wouldn't regret later, "I have to go. But if you…if you need someone to talk to, just…wait here, okay? I'll check back on my break and we can…you know…talk, if you want." She flushed, completely unused to playing the role of caretaker. That was always Holly's job.

Duchess looked up, brown eyes full of fear, hesitance and conflict. And then something seemed to click back into place, and she seemed to regain her voice. "I wouldn't want to be a _bother_ to you," she snapped, in a valiant attempt at normalcy, though she wasn't careful enough with her tone, and Poppy picked up on the hurt lacing the snark. That, and even as she spoke, she had plopped herself down into one of the uncomfortable chairs lining the back room, arms folded petulantly over her chest, one leg crossed over the other.

Poppy bit back an impatient groan. "Look, it's not that you're a _bother_ ," she said, already backing out of the room. "I never said that. I just meant I don't really appreciate you following me around, hurling accusations at me that I don't even deserve."

Duchess huffed, turning her head resolutely away from Poppy, but her cheeks had colored slightly. Sighing internally in relief, Poppy slipped out of the back room and into the salon. She didn't know why, exactly, but something in the way that Duchess was acting told her that the ballerina would be there when she got back.

Checking the reservation list at the register, she called a huffy-looking Apple White for a touch-up, and relaxed slightly when the blonde sat down and instantly set upon Dexter Charming. As much as she felt for Apple and her not-so-secret crush on Raven Queen, she was all too ready to listen to drama rather than living it.

* * *

Lizzie sighed.

She had been certain that she and Kitty had worked out their issues after the talk they'd had. Indeed, things had been great for about a week. Lizzie had stopped spending quite so much time with Daring, and had even gone so far as to tell the boy point-blank that she had no more-than-platonic feelings for him. And for about a week, Lizzie had not only had her BFFA back, but been treated to a purring, unusually affectionate Kitty. While Lizzie was still somewhat confused about her new-found feelings for her lavender-haired friend, the addictive buzz that she felt when Kitty curled into her side or helped herself to her lap far outweighed her own concerns.

And then, after that one short, lovely week, things had once again gone sour. Only this time, Lizzie had absolutely _no_ idea what she could possibly have done to earn herself Kitty's ire.

But there was no denying that Kitty was upset about _something_. The cat-girl had taken to avoiding Lizzie when she could, and purposefully giving her the cold shoulder when she couldn't.

Still, Lizzie was reluctant to approach Kitty after their last falling out, and thusly, it wasn't until Kitty flounced up to the table they shared with the rest of the Wonderlandians during lunchtime and plopped herself into Alistair's lap without a second's hesitation that Lizzie decided she had to take action.

As wonderlandiful as her feelings for her BFFA made her feel when Kitty was affectionate with her, they made her equally irritated when she saw Kitty being affectionate with someone else, and Lizzie found herself clenching her jaw so tightly that she could hear her own teeth grinding together. She felt a powerful urge to loudly demand the removal of Alistair's head, but somehow managed to bite back this proclamation in favor of jamming her fork into her steak so hard that the tines poked right through the bottom of the cafeteria tray. Her holding back wasn't so much for the sake of Bunny, who looked as though she might cry, caught between her maybe-boyfriend and one of her best friends, not sure whether to allow this or to protest, but for her own pride. Lizzie had the distinct impression that Kitty was doing this on purpose—a suspicion that was all but confirmed when Kitty met her glare head-on from across the table, bright blue eyes unreadable save for a tiny trace of satisfaction.

So instead of exploding right then and there—a feat that any future Queen of Hearts should be praised an exalted for, mind you—Lizzie waited until after school, when she had a short stretch of time to be alone with Kitty before they arrived at their respective dorms. When Kitty made her predictable attempt to avoid Lizzie by darting into the damsel's restroom, Lizzie followed her without hesitation, not even waiting until the door was fully closed to grab the cat girl by the wrist and yank her into the last stall. The only noise made during this entire exchange was a startled " _Reeow_!" from Kitty as she was shoved unceremoniously against the wall.

Lizzie glanced around before following Kitty into the stall, catching sight of a stunned Ashlynn Ella apparently frozen in the middle of washing her hands. " _Out_!" Lizzie snapped in her most imperious voice, the one that was usually reserved for loud proclamations of ' _off with your head_!'. "And lock the door behind you!" Ashlynn didn't need to be told twice.

Now assured privacy, Lizzie rounded on Kitty, who was watching her with wide eyes. Lizzie was generally quite sweet-natured despite her frequent beheading threats, but when she was truly angry, she was quite as terrifying as her infamous mother. Still, Kitty stood her ground. Well, as well as she could, trapped in a tiny bathroom stall with a raging future queen blocking her only exit.

" _What_ is going on?" Lizzie demanded, cutting right to the chase.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kitty hissed, eyes narrowing. Much like any corned cat, Kitty had not lingered on fear, quickly making the leap to claws out. "You're the one who shoved me into some filthy bathroom stall—shouldn't I be asking _you_?"

"Don't even try to turn this around on me," Lizzie shot back instantly. "I don't know what your problem is _this_ time, and I wasn't going to pry. But I told you before, if you hurt our friends—"

"I haven't hurt anyone!" Kitty interrupted indignantly.

"You _know_ how Bunny feels about Alistair, and still, you—"

Kitty let out a high-pitched laugh. "Oh, right, this is about _Bunny_ ," she said, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "Not at all about how you impaled your lunch tray with a plastic fork because you were too busy murdering Alistair with your eyes to control your _grip_."

Lizzie flushed, but refused to break eye contact. "You did it on _purpose_ , Kitty," she ground out, angered both by Kitty's methods of acting out and by the image of Kitty clinging to Alistair. "You were _trying_ to…to make me…"

Kitty grinned, a toothy thing befitting her mother, and it was only thanks to Lizzie's many years of friendship with Kitty that she managed to spot the hurt beneath that mocking smile. "To make you _what_?" she asked, in a pseudo-innocent voice. She wanted Lizzie to say it—she wanted Lizzie to admit that it had worked.

"To make me _jealous_ ," Lizzie hissed, not caring that she was playing right into Kitty's palm. Her blood was boiling, causing a lag between her mouth and her brain. Otherwise, she may have reconsidered her words, or at least realized that she was practically giving showcasing her feelings at this point.

"You were _jealous_?" Kitty asked, still playing innocent, putting on a look of concern and mild surprise. "Whatever for?"

She blinked up at Lizzie, with big, overdone eyes, and that was just _it_. She was done with the mocking, _done_ with Kitty and her petulance, and her childish mood swings.

" _Because I have feelings for you_!" Lizzie practically shrieked, hands balled into fists at her sides. "Hex if I know _why_ ," she added, hotly, "given how much of a _brat_ you're being."

"Well maybe _I_ wouldn't have to be a _brat_ if _you_ weren't so _thick_!" Kitty snapped back, pulling away from the wall so that she was facing Lizzie at her full height. "Did you _really_ think that I had a problem with Daring because he was stealing my _friend_ from me?"

"You said—"

"I _lied_!" Kitty cried, exasperated. "I _do_ that! You were supposed to...to…"

"To _what_ , read your mind?" Lizzie replied hotly.

"No!" Kitty snapped, her voice raising an octave. "But you were supposed to put two and two together! But no! You're so thick when it comes to love that you couldn't even tell that Daring was after your _pants_ until _I_ pointed it out!"

"Then why did you just expect me to notice—"

"Because I was _scared_!" Kitty nearly shrieked over Lizzie's protest. "If you noticed and didn't feel the same, I could just deny it, but if I said something, and you hated me, then…" She broke off, tears pooling in her eyes. "You're my only true friend, Lizzie," she said, quietly. "I know I have the others, but…but they don't even really _know_ me. And everyone else in this school hates me because I'm always playing pranks and messing with them. If I lost _you_ …I'd be alone."

"So instead of risking that, you avoided me, and when that didn't work, you tried to make me jealous," she heard Lizzie reply after a moment of silence. She didn't feel able to look her BFFA in the eye at the moment.

" _Tried_ , like it didn't totally _work_ ," Kitty muttered, staring at the floor. She felt more than heard Lizzie sigh, and for the first time, their proximity really hit her, and she felt her cheeks grow hot.

"Okay, fine, it _worked_ ," Lizzie replied, and Kitty felt her heart skip a beat. "But that doesn't mean it was the right way to go about anything. Kitty...Kitty, look at me."

Kitty felt her chin being forced upwards until she had nowhere to look but into Lizzie's deep green eyes, and she was sure that she'd never found it so incredibly difficult to maintain eye contact before in her life. At the same time, she was equally sure that she couldn't have looked away, even if she'd been allowed.

"I would _never_ hate you," Lizzie said, her voice gentle but firm, and just slightly tinged with hurt. "I can understand that you were afraid, because I was too. But…can you stop fighting me now? I think it's obvious by this point that it's completely unnecessary."

"It…" But Kitty's breath caught in her throat, and for once in her life, her silver tongue was rendered entirely useless as Lizzie drew closer. Kitty's heart sped up to what she was sure was a dangerously fast rate, and her chest filled with an ache that she couldn't quite place. It was a longing, a need, a feeling that something incredibly important was about to happen, and she felt her eyes fluttering closed as she felt Lizzie's hand cup the side of her face. A second later, she felt Lizzie's warm breath ghosting over her lips, and in another second, she was overcome by a feeling of fullness that made her wonder how she'd ever not noticed how empty she'd been before as Lizzie's lips met her own.

Vaguely, she felt the warm hand on her cheek sliding backwards until slender, gentle fingers buried themselves in her hair. Kitty's heart swelled and she took in a deep, urgent breath through her nose, twisting her arms around Lizzie's neck and standing on her tiptoes, pushing herself into the other girl, anything (anything) to be just a little bit closer.

Impatient as ever, even in her current state, Kitty's tongue had just began to prod at Lizzie's lips when a loud, jarring rap sounded at the door. Their lips parted with a loud 'pop!' and both girls whipped their heads around to face the door, though their arms remained tightly entwined around each other.

"Unlock this door this instant!" It was Headmaster Grimm's voice. "This restroom is a public school facility, and is not to be locked by students!"

Kitty hissed under her breath, and Lizzie groaned internally. She'd completely forgotten where they were. And now not only would she and Kitty have to reveal themselves as the culprits and subject themselves to the curious eyes of the students, but also sit through one of Headmaster Grimm's infamous lectures.

But then she heard Kitty muttering several colorful hexplicatives against her shoulder, her warm breath ghosting against Lizzie's ear, arms slowly, reluctantly falling from around her neck, and suddenly, Lizzie decided that that didn't sound so bad after all.

* * *

 **I really hope I did Kitty and Lizzie's relationship justice! Climactic scenes are hard for me to write, so I really hope it came out well and I'm really sorry if it didn't! I kind of imagine Kitty being passive-aggressive in these matters, even when she's scared or hurt (or especially then). Next chapter, Duchess and Poppy will have a bit of a heart-to-heart, and more!**

 **Please leave me a review! Like I've said, it's great motivation, and I'd really like to know what you thought of this chapter in particular!**


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